Quality Time
by BlueTitan
Summary: Attempting to make the best of bad weather, the Titans engage in a little game of Truth or Dare. But when the game turns into a bet involving BeastBoy, Raven, and a month of each other's company without killing one another, will a wedge be driven between
1. Stormy Weather

I'm back! And with another story out there for all you hopeless romantics, shippers, and just people who enjoy a good laugh. Following my last story, "Birthday Reflections" (Shameless self promotion) I was e-mailed, requested to aid an avid BB/Rae fan like myself.

Regrem Erutaerc, whom I know quite well for his involvement in "Seven Years Bad Luck in One Day", pitched me an idea for a story involving Truth or Dare, which he wanted me to write. To be perfectly honest, I was quite skeptical at first about writing a truth or dare fic, due to the fact that they're so common in fan fiction, and I really wanted to pursue one of my other ideas. However, after much thought and careful re-thinking, I'm happy to say that this idea has evolved into something I'm enjoying to write.

"**Quality Time"**

**Chapter 1: Stormy Weather**

"Good morning, Jump City!" came a cheerful voice from a portable radio on the counter of a small newsstand. "It looks like we'll be in for another beautiful day. The temperatures are expected to hit the mid eighties, and there's not a cloud in the sky."

At that moment, a clap of thunder cut off the transmission as a downpour began, drenching the streets in bucketfuls of rain. The owner of the newsstand looked out from under his stand, watching the skies become pitch black. A strong wind picked up, blowing his laid out selection of newspapers and magazines everywhere. He scrambled after them, only to trip and fall into a puddle that had already amassed itself from the rain. Getting to his feet, and attempting to wring out his shirt, he sighed, returning to his stand and shaking off the shiver from the winds hitting his wet clothes.

"Yes, without a doubt, it'll be hard to match a beautiful day like today!" the radio gargled in between the streaks of lightning cutting through the sky.

He picked up the radio and hurled it against the wall, smashing it into numerous pieces. "I swear." He began, glaring at the broken components "Does meteorologist mean liar in EVERY city?"

Across the sea, the waves crashed restlessly against the coastline, and against the island of Titan's tower. Inside, the Titans were attempting to cope with the storm in their own way.

"A little bit to the left." Cyborg instructed.

Cyborg stood in front of the TV navigating BeastBoy, who was perched on top of the television with an antenna in each hand and his arms out to his sides, attempting to adjust the position of the antennas and his posture to Cyborg's specifications. The screen was a jumbled mess of static, obviously another victim of the storm's presence. Cyborg scratched his chin, contemplating the next possible adjustment to regain reception.

"Now to the right." He pointed.

BeastBoy did as he was told, desperately hoping to restore the signal.

"Higher."

BeastBoy lifted his arms a few inches.

"Higher"

He raised his arms over his head.

"A…bit higher"

BeastBoy was now on his tiptoes, straining to reach further.

"Nah, on second thought, go back to the way you were."

BeastBoy breathed a sigh of relief, lowering himself to a more comfortable position. But he relaxed too quickly, hunching over, loosing his balance. He began to drift forward, teetering over the edge.

"WAAAAHHHH!" he shouted slipping off the TV, flying towards the floor. He morphed into a turtle in mid air, pulling his arms and legs inside his shell. He hit the floor, bouncing slightly from the impact.

He grabbed onto the table, resuming human form, pulling himself up, dazed and shaken from bouncing around inside his turtle shell. "Dude!" he groaned clutching his head "Why do I have to be the antennae?"

"Cause you're closer to actual size" Cyborg smirked, tapping a few buttons on his arm trying to figure out another way to fix the reception. "Besides, you're the only one light enough for the TV to support your weight."

"So? You look the part!" he retaliated, drawing attention to his mechanical accessories and gadgets. "Hey, why are we even doin' this anyway? I thought the tower had ALL the modern conveniences."

"It does. But the storm's knocked out the cable, and it's blocking the satellite signal altogether." He explained, pushing a few buttons on a nearby console.

BeastBoy sighed, picking up the antennas to resume his place on top of the TV. He looked down at Cyborg, waiting for new instructions. While he waited impatiently, his eyes wandered around the room, hoping to find something to take his mind off the absence of TV. Starfire was in the corner of the kitchen kneeling by the oven, eagerly awaiting the completion of her latest alien dish. He'd caught a glimpse of it before she had placed it inside. From what he'd seen, it looked like a purple artichoke with some sort of pink filling in the center. His stomach tightened at the thought of being the first to taste it, like so many times before.

Raven was nowhere to be seen, not surprising. Most likely in her room, taking advantage of the rainy weather. She found the rain a peaceful background noise that served to relax her while in meditation. It was still early in the day, so she'd probably be out soon. Though once she found out what Starfire was serving, she might wish she hadn't.

That left Robin, who was leaning against the windows, watching the rain beat against the glass. He looked down at the ground below amidst the heavy water running off the roof, watching the ground be transformed into a thick layer of mud. The obstacle course was completely saturated, dismissing any possibility of training for the day. His view shifted occasionally to Starfire, waiting by the oven, always somehow able to predict and catch his glances. She greeted him with a warm smile each time. He'd offer a quick smile, before clearing his throat and turning instantly back to the window. The aroma from the oven had faintly reached him, a constant reminder that the only muscle that would be insured a workout was his stomach.

"Argh! This is hopeless." Cyborg said disappointed, "We've got about as much chance of getting a signal as BeastBoy does getting a date."

"Yeah." BeastBoy nodded. "HEY!" he frowned, staring coldly at him, clearly irritated.

"Sorry, man. That was uncalled for." He apologized with a smirk. "It's Raven's job to make those kinds of observations."

"Apology accep…DUDE! Stop doing that!" he glared.

"Well, look on the bright side." Cyborg attempted to change the subject, "We've still got gamestation. Beating old games is better than nothing at all. And we do still have power, right?" he said attempting to put a positive spin on the situation.

A blinding flash of lighting illuminated the night sky from the window, and with it's passing, the lights went out inside the tower. Aside from what minor light was visible from the window, Cyborg's electronic eye was the only thing still energized in the whole room.

BeastBoy mimicked the sound of a buzzer. "Wrong answer."

At that moment, the door slid open with the assistance of a brief burst of black energy. Raven walked inside, a lit candle in hand, making the room visible once more.

"Has anyone else noticed the storm outside?" she said in her usual dry, sarcastic tone.

"The bright flashing light outside and the loud booming noises from the sky?" BeastBoy asked musingly, "I was startin' to wonder about that." He said reclining on the couch.

Raven gave him her usual passive look, holding the candle out in front of her. Robin was still by the window, not startled but more alert from the lack of light. Starfire floated over from the kitchen, opposite of Robin, looking out the window as well. Raven set the candle down on the table, making her way over to Cyborg.

"Somebody forget to pay the electric bill?" she asked.

"Can't really tell." He looked into his arm's digital readout. "Either the storm tripped a circuit breaker, or maybe it fried the power grid altogether."

"Well, whatever happened, we must be the favorites." Robin said, pointing out the window. "The city still has power." He said, observing the lit buildings across the ocean.

"Not to worry" Cyborg said, calmly checking his readout. "The backup generator should be kickin' in right…about…now."

As if on cue, the lights came back on and all other electronic equipment in the room hummed to life. Raven blew out the candle, before seating herself on the couch.

"Ya mean you're not gonna go back and meditate in this perfect weather?" BeastBoy asked, slightly surprised.

"I've had my fill of meditation…for now." Raven waved her hand, beckoning a book from a shelf nearby with her powers. "Besides, it's quite difficult to concentrate when everything around you shakes with every clap of thunder. I never thought anything in nature could irritate me on the same level as you."

"You're comparing me to a force of nature?" he asked. She turned, considering maybe her remark had been a bit harsh. "DUDE!" he said with an amused grin, dismissing Raven's brief concern. "Hear that Cy? I'm on the same level as a thunderstorm." He smiled, flexing his muscles, adapting a different meaning to Raven's remark.

"Yeah. You're just as loud without gettin' people wet." Cyborg remarked, smirking once more.

"You know i…HEY!" he yelled, catching the joke late again.

Raven rolled her eyes, and began to read the text in front of her. Robin began to move away from the window, joining Cyborg as he performed a systems check and damage assessment on the tower. Starfire returned to the kitchen, watching eagerly as the oven resumed it's cooking of her…thing.

BeastBoy frowned, still unwilling to except that Cyborg had gotten the last laugh on him for the third time. He grabbed the gamestation controller, flipping the power switch to on, putting his feet up on the table, hoping to drown his bruised ego in video games. The screen flickered for a second before the title screen appeared, instructing him to press the start button. But before he could do so, Cyborg stepped in front of him, blocking the screen. He flipped the gamestation to off, folding his arms as the screen went black.

"Dude! If you're gonna' interrupt, you could at least wait til' I'm winning!" he complained.

"Sorry, B. The backup generator was designed to only support the essential systems for the tower in the event of a power failure." He sympathetically explained.

"What could be more essential than my game?" he shrugged.

"What he means is that the sensory equipment and security system by themselves are a strain on the backup generator." Robin interjected, sitting beside him. "Which means no unnecessary use of any more power than we absolutely have to."

BeastBoy was tempted to argue, to fight the verdict until the controller was pried of his hands from loss of consciousness. But with the storm still raging outside, and a small part of him that knew better, he gave a heavy sigh and flopped the controller onto the floor.

"Cheer up, BeastBoy. That doesn't mean we have to sit here and do nothing." Robin attempted to brighten his disposition.

"Perhaps we could play the game of bored." suggested Starfire coming to Robin's aid from the kitchen, attempting to renew BeastBoy's spirits.

"Uh…Star? We're already bored. I don't think we need a game to heighten it." BeastBoy slumped into the couch deeper.

"I think she means 'board' game" Raven translated, not taking her eyes away from her book.

"A board game. Hey! That's a great idea!" BeastBoy perked up. "Ya know, I was just gonna plug the gamestation into Cy's power cell and use him as a human battery, but yeah, that's a way better idea." He grinned.

Cyborg just stared at him, unsure if he had actually been serious or not. BeastBoy vaulted over the couch and sprinted to a small closet nearby. He flung open the door, and dove inside.

"Okay, let's see what we got here." He began rummaging through piles of blankets, small equipment, and other assorted items stored or stuffed inside in search of anything resembling a game.

"Well?" came Cyborg, now standing just beside the closet, dodging the occasional object thrown his way by BeastBoy's search.

BeastBoy emerged with a stack of boxes. "How about…"Hungry Hungry Hippos"?" he held up one box for everyone to see.

Cyborg and Robin gave him a questionable look.

"What is this starving of hippos he speaks?" Starfire asked, floating over Robin's shoulder.

"It's…a kid's game where the object is to make the hippos eat as much as you can." He explained.

"I was not aware games on this planet encouraged gluttony among earth children." Starfire queried.

"It'd certainly explain how he eats the way he does." cracked Cyborg.

"Hey! I'll have you know this is a challenging game that builds reflexes and hand eye coordination." BeastBoy defended.

"Oh yeah. Slamming a lever on a plastic hippo's backside to eat marbles. A real brain builder." commented Raven.

BeastBoy frowned, tossing the box over his shoulder.

"How about "Mouse Trap"?" Cyborg suggested, picking up the next box from the pile.

"Dude! That's cruelty to animals!" BeastBoy said, snatching the box away.

"Man, any animal dumb enough to get caught by a trap with a triggering mechanism involving a guy in swim trunks diving into a bucket ain't worth saving." Cyborg said.

"How 'bout…"Monopoly"?" BeastBoy suggested, holding up the next box.

"Uh-uh" replied Cyborg. "I've still got hotels rattling around in my servos from the last time we played." He rotated his shoulders slightly as the sound of rattling came from his parts.

Robin folded his arms with his back to Cyborg. "I still say you cheated."

"Hey, it's not my fault you were the first one who went broke."

"You must have calculated the dice rolls. It's the only way you could've known where I'd land each turn and which properties to buy." He tapped Cyborg's computerized portion of his brain.

"Please, friends" said Starfire, getting between them.

"Besides, I thought numbers hurt BeastBoy's brain?" commented Raven, still engulfed in reading, thinking back to BeastBoy trying to count his play money and determine the percentage of luxury tax.

"Aww, didn't know you cared, Rae." said BeastBoy playfully.

Raven looked up from her book. "On second thought, BeastBoy can be the banker."

Cyborg sifted through the remaining boxes. "Well, not much else to pick from. Everything else is missing pieces."

"Think I know why." said BeastBoy, pointing a finger.

Cyborg traced the direction of his finger to Starfire's pet, Silkie, who was lying in the corner napping. "What makes ya say that?" he asked.

BeastBoy held up a board from one of the un-chosen boxes. The side of the board had teeth marks on it, looking as if a bite had been taken out of it. "Call it a hunch." he said plainly. From the corner, Silkie burped, expelling dice and numerous game cards and pieces from his mouth.

"Guess we can scratch board games off the to do list." Robin commented as BeastBoy shoveled the stack of boxes back into the closet. "Any other suggestions?"

BeastBoy scratched his head, looking up at the ceiling. Starfire watched the boys waiting for an idea to dawn on them, knowing her Tameranian games would probably be unfamiliar to them. Raven simply continued reading as if no one else was there.

"Ya know…" began Cyborg, a grin slowly growing on his face, "There's always…"

"No! Don't say it!" exclaimed Robin, reading the look on his face. "Don't even suggest it! Not gonna' happen! Not after last time!"

"Truth…or Dare." Cyborg finished, smiling.

BeastBoy's face lit up. The perfect party game, totally befitting of him. Starfire's eyes sparkled with wonder. She had only heard of this Earth game, but had never actually participated herself. And Raven…just sat there continuing to read.

"Forget it." Robin said. "The last time we played, you and BeastBoy relentlessly humiliated me." He told them, shivering mentally from the remembrance of some of their choice dares, too sickening and too heinous to describe.

"Well of course you're not gonna wanna play if ya only remember the bad stuff." Cyborg said, putting a hand on his shoulder in the hopes of swaying his decision. "But this'll be different. A level playing field, no gangin' up on anybody…and" he drew closer, whispering, "we'll get Starfire to play." He said almost baiting him.

Robin slowly turned to look at Starfire who was listening intently to BeastBoy as he explained in detail about the game. He swallowed hard, turning back to Cyborg. "You've got to SWEAR." He pointed, gesturing Cyborg to raise his right hand. "No turning everyone against me? Dares within reason? A fair game that won't require arguing, fighting, or therapy afterwards?" he interrogated.

"Cross my heart and hope my batteries die." He smiled assuringly. "I'm telling ya, you've got nothing to worry about. Just good clean fun for the whole team. We'll even get Raven to play. Right…" he turned to ask, finding the spot on the couch empty, "Raven?"

He looked to see Raven walking quietly with her book under her arm, making her way to the door. She apparently had sensed it was her cue to leave.

"Hey, Raven!" Cyborg called, drawing everyone's attention to her almost unnoticed attempt at escape. "How 'bout you join us?"

"Pass." She said stopped, but not turning to face him. She began to take another step.

"Come on, Raven. One game?" BeastBoy asked hopefully.

Once more, she stopped, but this time turned around to reply. "No."

"Please? Just once?" he asked more pleadingly, leaning over the couch.

"No." she responded again, no different from her last answer.

"You sure I can't convince you?" he flashed his eyebrows, morphing into a puppy going wide-eyed, attempting to guilt her into submission.

"Let me think." She held her head in her hand, pretending to actually consider his request. "No." she repeated.

BeastBoy returned to human form, still determined to change her mind, one way or the other. "Come on, Raven. Do it for me." He folded his hands, asking sweetly. "I wouldn't want to resort to 'other' methods." He grinned slightly.

Raven raised an eyebrow. Under normal circumstances, she would've assumed he was bluffing, or at least trying to egg her into it. But something about the look on his face made her question his intentions. "What in the world could you possibly do to get ME to change my mind?" she asked taking two steps towards him, a doubtful expression on her face.

BeastBoy smirked. "Hey, Star!" he called, "Come here a sec, would ya?"

Starfire flew to the side of her green friend. "Yes, BeastBoy? How may I assist you?" she asked in her joyful tone.

BeastBoy clasped his hands over Starfire's ears. "Okay, Raven." He turned to face her, "Either you agree to play Truth or Dare with us, or I'm gonna tell Starfire you've got a pink cloak in your closet." He warned her with a smile.

Raven took a step back. It wasn't true, not in the least. But if Starfire thought that Raven had anything of that nature in her possession, she could only imagine how Starfire would react. Always after her to go to the mall, getting accessories for her, picking out clothes for her, and that was just what she could think of off the top of her head. She would not rest until she and Raven shared such experiences.

"You wouldn't." she stared blankly.

BeastBoy closed his eyes, still smiling, releasing his hands from over Starfire's ears. "Why, Raven." He began, his head tilted slightly towards Starfire, "What was that in your closet the last time you kicked me out of your room?"

Raven took another step back. She pictured Starfire's eyes twinkling at the very mention. There was a chance he was still bluffing, right? She could probably outrun her, RIGHT?

"If I didn't know any better…" BeastBoy continued.

He wasn't bluffing.

"I'd swear it was a p-MMMPH!" Raven clamped her hand over his mouth. Just in time too.

"Let's just get this over with." She walked past him, releasing her grasp of his mouth.

BeastBoy smiled, laying back into the couch, kicking his feet up onto the table and resting his head against his arms folded behind him. Cyborg and Robin looked at him, surprised at his achievement. He cracked open one eye, acknowledging them. "What? I can't help it if I'm irresistible."

**Next Chapter:** Truth or Dare is the name of the game, and the Titans try to make the best of the weather. But will the game be more worrisome than the storm? And what results will it yield?


	2. Game Time

**Quality Time**

**Chapter 2: Game Time**

The storm continued to pour outside, with no signs of letting up. However, inside Titan's Tower, the weather was no longer an issue. The team was attempting to pass the time with a game of Truth or Dare, and for a change, the entire team was participating. Robin was skeptical to join, considering Cyborg's notorious reputation at games like this, but after Cyborg reasoned with him, Robin's skepticism turned to paranoia. Robin had agreed to play, but he could not, nor would not, shake the suspicion that Cyborg would humiliate him, as he had so many times before, the first chance he got.

But even more surprising than that, Raven was playing, and that was no ordinary accomplishment. Raven had usually made it a point not to participate in such activities, choosing rather the solitude and serenity of her room to read or meditate. This time however, BeastBoy had managed to 'convince' her otherwise.

"Alright, y'all" Cyborg said in anticipation, rubbing his hands together, "For the first time ever, we are about to have a complete game of Truth or Dare! And by complete, I mean a complete set of players." He smiled at the sight of the whole team together, sitting on the couch. "So, without further a due…" he said, a microphone popping out from under his forearm and into his hand, "Let's meet our contestants!" he spoke into the microphone, imitating a game show host. Cyborg was taking this occasion very seriously, and he intended to play it for all it was worth.

"First…" he began, standing at the front of the couch, "We have the lovely, Starfire!" He introduced, pressing a button on his wrist, giving off the sound of applause and whistling. "A new player to the game and the planet, she's a Tameranian warrior princess who enjoys cooking, stomping bad guy butt, and flirting with a certain spiky haired teen superhero." Cyborg grinned, as Starfire just giggled, finding amusement in his impersonation of an Earth game host. Robin, however, was far less enthusiastic, crossing his arms and snorting like an angry bull.

"Next…" he said, moving past Starfire to the next person on the couch, "We have Titan team leader, and all around sore loser," he whispered, but just loud enough for everyone to hear, "Robin." Cyborg pushed another button on his wrist, this time giving off the sound of mild booing and jeering. Robin tapped his fingers impatiently and annoyed, waiting for him to get on with it. Agreeing to play was one thing, but he felt this was taking it a bit too far. "A returning player, whom we haven't seen for a while, is back from therapy and is ready to take on all comers. This 'mysterious' teen detective enjoys martial arts, sports, and also flirting with a certain alien princess, thinking no one's the wiser." Robin fumed as Cyborg moved past him, cracking his knuckles, wanting to strike him in the back of his cybernetic skull.

"Our next contestant is another returning player." He continued, moving past Robin. "He's green, he's single, and he's probably gonna' be that way for a while." He grinned, "Please welcome, BeastBoy!"

BeastBoy ignored Cyborg's last remark, slicking back his hair with one hand, flexing his bicep with the other. "Hello, ladies!" he smiled as if he was looking into a camera. Cyborg promptly pushed a button on his wrist, giving off the sounds of women screaming their affection and applauding.

"He's a vegetarian, loves tofu, and can take losing at video games just as graciously as losing at everything else." Cyborg continued with the impromptu introduction.

"DUDE!" BeastBoy yelled, aggravated as Cyborg moved passed him. But to show BeastBoy there were no hard feelings, Cyborg pushed another button on his wrist, this time giving off the sound of a girl screaming to him, "I want your body!" BeastBoy quickly forgot about Cyborg, striking another masculine pose for the imaginary audience Cyborg led him to believe was there. Cyborg grinned, knowing BeastBoy could take a joke.

"And last, but certainly not least…." He said, making his way to the end of the couch, "Raven." Cyborg went to push the button on his wrist, only to have it break by a burst of black energy. He looked over at Raven to see her usual passive stare. Cyborg gave a nervous laugh, deciding to agree with Raven's suggestion to dispense with the sound effects. "Another first time player, and…probably last," he said as Raven's eyes cut through him, "She's a girl whose bad side ya don't wanna' get on. Her turn ons include reading, poetry, and meditation. Her turn offs are sunlight, anything overly feminine, and short green shape shifters."

Cyborg suddenly felt a chill as two shadows rose over him, one of the current contestant, and the other of the short green shape shifter in question. Caught in between a glare of annoyance at peak levels, he quickly stepped out of the way, taking the hint.

"And now, please welcome your returning champion." He announced, as the lights went out, cueing a spotlight overhead. "The one, the only, CYBORG!" he outstretched his arms, welcoming applause, but only an uncomfortable silence followed. He looked over at the couch, as Starfire gave a confused look, while Robin just sat there, still glaring with his arms crossed. BeastBoy and Raven stared at him, sharing the same unimpressed expression. Seconds passed, as Cyborg just stood there with the spotlight on him, almost able to make out the sound of a cricket in the distance, as if even the storm had died down for one brief instant to make the moment even more awkward. "Okay, I'm done." He slumped his posture, bringing his arms back down to his sides, tossing the microphone over his shoulder. "Now, who's ready to play?" he shouted enthusiastically, trying to reestablish the mood.

Starfire continued to swell with anticipation, despite Robin's less than willing mood, barely able to contain her joy. BeastBoy massaged his temple, trying to think of suitable questions and dares, so he'd be prepared for his turn. Raven just sat there beside him, unbelieving of just how serious he was taking this game, finding more interest in counting the ceiling tiles than participating.

"Ok. Ordinarily, the 'returning champion' reserves the right to go first." Cyborg announced proudly, stressing his self appointed title. "But seein' as how 'some' contestants might believe that to be a setup…" he said, not naming names, but hinting at one particular player, "Why don't we let…" He thought for a moment, considering who to pick.

BeastBoy flailed his hand wildly in the air, like a kindergartener volunteering to help the teacher. "Ooh! Ooh! Pick me! Pick me! Please! Pick me!" BeastBoy called.

Raven leaned against the couch, her head arched upward, counting ceiling tiles in her head.

Robin's outlook hadn't changed a bit, still fuming over what to be more irritated at: The fact that Cyborg had talked him into playing truth or dare against his better judgment? Or, the fact that he seemed to be the only one to notice how much Cyborg was going out of his way to point it out to him?

That left only one nominee remaining.

"Starfire." Cyborg pointed, causing the alien girl to leap from the couch in unbridled glee.

"Aww." BeastBoy groaned in defeat, falling back against the couch.

"Honest and true? I am the first to play the daring of truth?" she asked innocently, floating up beside Cyborg.

Cyborg nodded with a smile.

"Eee-hee!" Starfire lightly squealed, clapping her hands.

"Now, you know what you have to do, right?" he placed a hand on her shoulder, turning her around to face the others on the couch. "You can pick anyone you want, and either ask them a question they have to answer, or dare them to do something of your choice." Cyborg explained, making certain she grasped the concept of the game.

"Oh, this is true! On my planet, such a game exists, quite similar. But…I was never allowed to play on the valid reason that many had perished while participating." she thought back.

The team just stared at her, wide-eyed in shock.

"Uh…people…DIE playing truth or dare on your planet?" murmured BeastBoy.

"Certainly so. Only, on my planet, it is more of a ritual than a game of recreation. Our fiercest warriors must both answer a question of great personal truth, and best a challenge of peril. Only then can they be accepted as a truly noble warrior." Starfire lectured.

"Um, Starfire? That sounds more like a right of passage than a game." Robin said, rubbing the back of his head.

"Maybe the Tameranians are onto something. Let's send BeastBoy to one of their games. He could use the nobility." Raven said dryly.

BeastBoy turned, facing Raven. "And suppose I lose?" he exclaimed.

"You're no worse off." She replied, staring straight ahead, leaving him to gape at her remark. "Besides," she turned, "You're the one who likes games."

BeastBoy raised a finger, opening his mouth to respond, but instead, he sighed, closing his mouth and accepting that no matter what he said, she'd find a way to expand the joke. He simply folded his arms as Robin had done so many times throughout the game so far, silently pouting.

"Just take it down a notch, okay Star?" Cyborg patted her head, resuming the game. "Remember, we're just tryin' to have a little fun, not become recognized as distinguished alien warriors. 'Kay?"

Starfire nodded happily, turning her attention back to her friends on the couch, debating whom to choose.

"Robin!" she pointed, making her selection.

Robin was surprised she had chosen so quickly, thinking she would've at least taken a moment to decide and weigh her choices. Robin looked to his left, suddenly realizing why her choice had been so simple. "Huh?" he said, baffled.

BeastBoy and Raven were nowhere in sight. Apparently, Star's version of truth or dare had convinced them that being the subjects of her first truth or dare experience might not be the safest idea.

"HEY!" Robin yelled, not believing his teammates had deserted him so easily.

A green mouse poked its head up from between the couch cushions, and a black void opened up in one of the other cushions, Raven poking her head up to peek as well.

BeastBoy climbed back up onto his seat, resuming human form. "Thought I saw a nickel in between the cushions." He grinned, lying through his teeth.

Raven hovered above her seat, as the vortex closed beneath her, taking her seat once more. "Bathroom." she said plainly, no more obvious than BeastBoy.

"Cowards." He muttered under his breath. Robin turned, jumping almost at the sight of Starfire, point blank in front of him.

"Robin?" she began, folding her hands together, "Truth? Or the dare?" she asked.

Robin tugged at his collar, beginning to sweat, and finding it harder to breathe easy. "Uh…w-well, I uh…that is um…" he blathered.

Robin couldn't think. What was the lesser of two evils? Truth, and who knows what Starfire might ask. Dare, and…well…he could only imagine what her mind could think up after hearing her planet's interpretation, but Starfire wouldn't propose anything life threatening. She knew this was only a game, for them at least. For Robin, this was sheer torture.

And out of the corner of his eye, he could see the smirk of Cyborg, delighted in the display of Robin squirming. Exactly what he'd suspected since this whole thing began. _"Not a setup."_ he thought, _"Yeah, right."_

"Please, Robin. What is it you choose?" Starfire asked, breaking his train of thought.

What to do? The only question that seemed to matter to his existence at this point and time. From Robin's trained mind, he had three choices. One, he could swallow his pride, get up, and leave right now. But all that would serve to accomplish is proving to Cyborg, to the team, and to himself that he wasn't able to do something unless it was his way. On top of that, Starfire might take offence to him ending the game before it began. And he could only guess how many times Cyborg would find a way to bring it up, if only to mock him.

Two, he could take dare, and only hope Starfire would make him do something that might seem embarrassing to her, but left both himself and the others clueless. Then again, that kind of luck he hadn't had much of recently.

Three, bite the bullet, and let her ask a question. She probably wouldn't ask anything too personal. Besides, if it was, he could always lie. Or in Robin's definition, exaggerate the truth. Who would know?

His choices were narrowed down to cowardice, humiliation, and liar. He nervously glanced back and forth at the monitors, hoping for an alarm to sound. Where was Slade when he needed him?

"Please, Robin. What is your decision?" Starfire asked, a reminder that time had not been stopped.

"Uh…Truth." He finally spoke, ending the suspenseful wait Cyborg had been enjoying so thoroughly.

"Very well." Starfire smiled. "You have chosen the fate of honest question answering. So, to you…I…ask…" Starfire thought, thinking of what question to put to him.

DING!

The oven timer from the kitchen went off, alerting Starfire of her completed recipe.

Starfire looked to the kitchen, then back at the others. "Excuse please." She courteously bowed quickly before flying into the kitchen.

Robin breathed a faint sigh of relief. Saved by the bell, for the moment anyway.

Starfire returned, wearing a pair of oven mitts, placing the pan containing the strange concoction on the table to cool. The once purple artichoke was now hardened with an almost leather like texture, and the pink goo atop bubbled ever so slightly. It was anyone's guess whether this was an entrée, a desert, or pet food for Silkie.

Starfire removed the mitts, placing them on the table, returning to ponder her question. Everyone else's eyes were still fixed on her newest cooking venture.

"Gee, Star." BeastBoy began, clutching his stomach with one hand, "That looks…almost as good as your last…whatever it was." He reminisced, remembering everyone forcing a smile as they sampled her last dish a week ago, letting on signs of sickness only after her departure from the room. Cyborg and Raven gave nervous gestures of their own, dreading mealtime with every gurgling bubble from the pink filling.

Starfire gasped as inspiration dawned on her, courtesy of BeastBoy's remark. "I have it!" she shouted in approval. She returned her view to Robin. "Robin? Truthfully, what do you think of my cooking?" she asked, her eyes emanating a child like innocence.

"_Crisis averted," _he thought to himself. The question could've been so much worse than what he'd envisioned. A small degree of relief came over him. Fibbing to Starfire might not be the right, but at least, it'd be easy. Besides, Robin was sure that any of the others would do the same in his position in order to preserve Starfire's feelings. And with that thought in mind, he opened his mouth to speak.

"Hold it!" Cyborg interrupted before Robin could even utter the first syllable. "It's not that I don't trust ya or anything, but…" Cyborg darted out of the room, returning with a fairly large device. He set it up directly in front of Robin, tapping a microphone positioned in front of him. Several lights on the device blinked, and a paper readout steadily fed out a long sheet of steady wavy lines. "Just for arguments sake.", he grinned.

BeastBoy tapped the device, unsure of what it had to do with the game. "Uh…Cy? What the heck is this thing?" he asked.

"A voice stress analyzer." he said proudly, grinning at Robin, who had already made an assumption.

"A Wha?" BeastBoy tilted his head.

"It's a lie detector." Raven said, enlightening him in simpler words.

"Exactly." Cyborg nodded. "Sorry for the interruption. Go right ahead, Robin." he smirked.

Robin looked at the device, then annoyingly at Cyborg, forcing a fake smile. "Gee, thanks." he muttered, gritting his teeth. He turned back to Starfire, who was still awaiting his reply. His vision drifted between her and the lie detector. He was going to have to word this carefully.

"Well…uh…um" he began, searching for the right words. It was like trying to disarm a bomb. Snip the wrong wire, or in this case, choose the wrong word, and BOOM. Though, Starfire had far much more destructive potential than any explosive, especially if it was all directed at just one person, and that was just if she was upset over him lying.

"I-it's…"Robin stuttered.

"Yes?" Starfire smiled.

"Really…very…" he began to fidget in his seat, "Unique." He returned her smile, trying to see the lie detector results. No buzzer, so kind of corrective noise, and the readout line was still steady. So far, so good.

Starfire gasped with joy.

BeastBoy, Raven, and Cyborg slowly peeked up from behind a barricade of sandbags, each wearing an army helmet. Like Raven, Starfire's powers were driven by emotion, and there was no telling how she'd react if Robin had said the wrong thing. This kind of display wasn't exactly the kind of thing that inspired confidence, but they weren't willing to risk it at the expense of their own safety and well being.

"He's good." Cyborg said removing his helmet, "I gotta give'em that." BeastBoy and Raven nodded in agreement.

"Yeah. Um…there's nothing else quite like it." Robin smiled, believing to be in the clear. He looked down at Starfire's alien dish, deciding that some reassurance would probably help. In one swift motion, he grabbed the purple artichoke, and stuffed it in his mouth. It was fairly large, and the rough exterior made it difficult to swallow. He forced every ounce of strength into his throat, forcing it down, as a large lump sunk down his throat. In a loud gulp, he finally succeeded, taking a deep breath to ease the strain.

Starfire gasped once more.

"_Please gross him out! Please gross him out!"_ Cyborg mentally cheered.

"_Please gross him out! Please gross him out!"_ BeastBoy chanted in thought as well.

"_Please no projectile vomit. Please no projectile vomit."_ Raven thought hopefully, her hands taking hold of her cloak in the event she had to raise it over her suddenly to shield her from Robin's sudden sickness, sure to follow.

Robin's eyes were shut tightly, waiting for the unpleasant taste common in most of Starfire's alien cuisine to kick in. Surprisingly, it tasted rather…pleasant. Kind of good actually. The pink filling gave a tangy citrus after taste in his mouth.

"Hey, that's…sort of good. Sort of really good." He admitted, a satisfying smile visible on his face.

Starfire lifted the empty plate, a rather grim look of concern on her face. "R-Robin, that…was not…" she started.

"Starfire, I'm…sorry." He said noticing the solemn look on her face, "I didn't mean to just eat the whole thing like that. I know you must've worked really hard on it. But, I…uh…couldn't help myself. It just looked so good." He said placing a hand on her shoulder trying to comfort her.

"You do not understand." Starfire replied. "That was not meant for eating." a tone of concern growing in her voice.

Robin's face gave way to confusion. "Huh?"

"That meal was no meal. It is a Tameranian purification remedy." she explained. "The pink liquid from the center is applied to one's outer skin, where it raises the temperature of the epidermal surface to assist in the removal of abnormalities in the skin. The shell where the liquid resides, once baked and hardened, is used to apply it, rubbing the solution deeper into the skin."

Robin was a blank stare.

Cyborg and the others just looked on.

"So…Robin just ate some kinda' alien zit cream?" BeastBoy asked, glancing at Cyborg and Raven, trying to understand the situation.

"Robin?" Starfire asked, concerned by his silence.

Robin could feel the pink goo in the pit of his stomach beginning to work its heating effect. He started to sweat, feeling as if a fire was building in his mid section. He began to breathe deeply, trying to cool the heat that was now building in his throat. It seemed as though any second he'd have expected to have wisps of steam billowing out of his ears.

"HaH! HaH!" Robin panted, fanning his tongue, trying to relieve the burning sensation. "W-W…Wa-water!" he shouted.

Robin ran to the kitchen. He spotted a large bucket of water, grabbing it, and forcing down every last drop. The overflow dripped down the sides of his face, but it didn't concern him, so long as the majority found it way down his throat, soothing and cooling the unruly heat in his stomach.

"Aaaaahhh" Robin let out, relieved, putting the bucket down, no longer plagued by the irritation of his enflamed throat. The water had settled the burning sensation, as he felt his temperature return to normal. Thankfully, it seemed to have been doused easily by the water.

"Robin?" Starfire asked, concerned.

"I'm…I'm okay." he said, hunched over the sink, taking a moment to catch his breath. He noticed Star's view shift from him to the empty bucket beside him. "Oh, sorry about that, Star. I hope there wasn't anything vital to your cooking in there." he gestured towards the empty bucket.

"No, not at all." She replied with a smile, happy he was all right. "It was merely Silkie's bath water."

Again, Robin's face went blank. He turned slowly, his neck creaking, looking at Silkie in the corner. He was freshly bathed, clean as a whistle. Which was more than he could say about his insides. He placed his hand over his mouth, feeling something trying to come up, forcing it back down. His face turned a pale shade of green, rivaling BeastBoy's complexion. He then fled the room, feeling himself about to become violently ill, the door closing behind him.

"Robin?" Starfire called, giving chase, exiting the room after him.

BeastBoy and Cyborg stood there, watching as the door closed behind Starfire, leaving them in silence to fully take in what had just happened. They turned slowly, looking at one another, finally acknowledging what had just transpired. They burst out laughing, falling to the ground on their backs, holding their sides in a vein attempt to suppress the hilarity that had befallen their leader.

"Oh, man!" cried Cyborg, wiping a tear from his eye, barely able to keep his gears from falling apart from the vibration of his hysterical laughter "T-that was too much!"

"Dude, come clean. Did you plan that whole thing?" asked BeastBoy, beginning to bring his own laughter under control.

"No." Cyborg replied, getting to his feet. "But, I wish I had." He added with one final chuckle.

Catching his breath, BeastBoy returned to his seat on the couch next to Raven. He was somewhat amazed that Raven hadn't given into the humor of the situation and rolled on the floor laughing with him and Cyborg. She just sat there, looking straight ahead, as if nothing had happened. Her face was like stone. No crack of a smile, not even a hint of a smirk.

"Okay, you CAN NOT tell me that wasn't funny." BeastBoy commented, grinning at the passive goth beside him.

Raven rolled her eyes. "I do not take pleasure in the misfortune of others." she replied in her clipped tone. "Usually" she whispered just as BeastBoy looked away, exposing a miniscule smile.

"Alright. I think it's safe to say Robin will be sitting this round out while he's…indisposed." Cyborg smirked. "So, BeastBoy? Why don't you pick it up where we left off."

BeastBoy sprang to his feet, more than willing to comply. He looked over at Raven, flashing his trademark toothy grin. Raven knew this could only mean one thing. It was her turn to experience whatever BeastBoy could dish out. Not that she had much to worry about from a guy whose IQ was the same as his height. Still, there was always the possibility.

"Ok! Now, we're really gonna' play!" He shouted enthusiastically, psyching himself up. "Truth or dare…" he called, pointing his finger, "Cyborg!"

Both Cyborg and Raven were taken off guard, looking questionably at each other. She had thought for sure he was going to pick her. Why talk Raven into playing if he wasn't even going to choose her?

"Uh…man, you sure?" Cyborg asked, still having trouble coming to terms with BeastBoy's decision.

"Wha's a matter champ? Afraid of a little competiton?" he taunted with a smile.

"Oh, so you want a shot at the title, huh? Ok. You're on. Dare!" he folded his arms, not showing any sign of backing. "Take your best shot."

BeastBoy thought carefully, his pupils shifting from the top corners of his eyes. He needed something unexpected, a dare fitting enough to knock him down a peg or two.

"Okay." He said, slanting a smirk upon his dare decision. "I dare you…to hold a telephone conversation for two minutes."

Cyborg raised an eyebrow. "That's it!" he snickered. "Robin could at least offer a challenge." He boasted.

"Is that a no?" BeastBoy smiled, morphing into a chicken, clucking at the mechanical man.

"Bring it on." he grinned. "But make it fast. The champ is startin' to get a hankering for fried chicken."

BeastBoy returned to human form, before Cyborg changed his mind or decided to make good on his meal selection. He ran to the kitchen, grabbing a cordless phone off the rack. He dialed a few numbers, waiting a brief moment for the call to go through. He covered his mouth as he whispered into the receiver.

Cyborg couldn't make out what he was saying. He strained, leaning in the direction of BeastBoy with his hand beside his ear, but still unable to make out what he was saying. He glanced over at Raven, who also was taking a mild interest in this unexpected turn of events. She gave Cyborg another questioning look, but he could only shrug, just as clueless as she was.

BeastBoy returned, phone in hand. "Ok, dude. You've gotta' stay on the line for two minutes, counting after you say hello."

"Just give it here." Cyborg said confidently, as BeastBoy handed him the phone. "Hello?"

"Your call is going through now, sir." came an unfamiliar male voice on the other end of the line. "For security reasons, this call may be recorded."

"Um…ok." Cyborg replied, looking slightly baffled at BeastBoy.

"Who did you call?" Raven asked, looking from the corner of her eye at BeastBoy, who stood beside her. It seemed as though he'd aroused her curiosity. Or at the very least, gained her attention.

"You'll see." he said, neither his eyes nor his smile leaving the view of Cyborg.

Cyborg listened as he heard a click on the line, probably the call being transferred to wherever it was going.

"Hello?" came a slightly annoyed, yet somehow familiar female voice.

"Uh…Hello?" Cyborg said, trying to figure out who it was. He knew he'd heard this voice before, but couldn't quite place where. The Titans East didn't have a receptionist, and it definitely wasn't BumbleBee. But, he was sure he'd heard it before.

Cyborg's memory banks scrambled, sifting through byte after byte of recorded data in his memory, trying to place the person on the other end of the line. A picture of BumbleBee popped into his mind, but after carefully analyzing the sound of her voice, his computerized brain crossed her off with an X, confirming what Cyborg had already deduced. There was only one other person he could think of. But, it couldn't be.

Another picture appeared in Cyborg's mind. This time of a certain pink haired individual who'd become quite close to Cyborg during his undercover assignment at the HAEYP academy. His memory bank cross-referenced the sound of the voice on the telephone to a recording on file. The computer in his mind beeped approvingly, indicating a perfect match. Mystery solved. BeastBoy had called the Jump City penitentiary. The person he'd talked to before must've been one of the guards, explaining the security protocol to him. There was no doubt about it, now. BeastBoy had put through a call to the bad luck enchantress herself, Jinx.

"Hey! You there?" Jinx's annoyed voice called, breaking Cyborg out of his trance.

Cyborg looked at BeastBoy, shooting him a glare that made even Raven flinch.

BeastBoy simply grinned, holding up a small stopwatch. "One minute, forty-six seconds to go." he said teasing, waving the watch.

"Hello!" she said slightly louder, her impatience growing.

"Uh, yeah. Yeah, I'm here." Cyborg replied nervously. What do you say to a person in jail, who you helped to put there?

"Ok, so you're there. Now, who the heck is this?" Jinx asked, still impatient but calmer than before.

"Me? Uh…t-this is…um…" he thought desperately, trying to stall long enough for the dare. "Uh…you're…parole officer," he blurted out.

"Really? My parole officer? Oh, that's rich. Except for one small problem. I'M STILL IN JAIL YOU LUNK HEAD!" she yelled. "Now, who are you, really?"

Cyborg's mind was going a mile a minute. What was he supposed to say, break into small talk, how's confinement treating you? He had to think fast.

"D-did I say parole officer? Oh, uh…stupid me. I meant to say I'm a member of the uh…parole…board. Yeah, uh just wanted to bring it to your attention that you'll be eligible for a hearing in a week or so, and I have to do a…um…brief follow up before then."

A short silence followed.

"I'm listening." Jinx said blankly, in a more calm demeanor.

"Well…see, you seem to be…one of the better ones" Cyborg said, choosing his words carefully with BeastBoy and Raven only a few feet away, huddling closer around the phone, speaking in a lower tone so they wouldn't hear him. "And…uh, we thought maybe all you really need…is a chance."

"You're talking, what? Community service?" she said, doubt clearly present in her voice.

"Something like that." He responded.

"Forget it. I'm not gonna' be one of those people on the roadside, picking up trash, in an orange jump suit, with guards all around me. You've got a better chance of getting me to be a street performer. Besides, orange isn't really my color." Jinx explained.

"No! No, what I mean is…I…" Cyborg caught himself in mid sentence, "Uh…we…wouldn't dream of you wasting your 'skills' on medial labor."

"What then?" she asked.

"Hasn't it been two minutes by now?" Raven whispered towards BeastBoy, who was still enjoying Cyborg squirming on the telephone.

"Yeah." BeastBoy whispered back, holding the watch for her to see. "But he doesn't really seem to mind. Unless…you wanna' tell him."

Raven looked at BeastBoy, then at Cyborg, his back to the both of them. It seemed sort of gratifying to see Cyborg on the receiving end of such childish games for a change. "Maybe just another minute." Raven whispered, folding her arms again, lengthening BeastBoy's grin while not breaking her own passive expression.

"Well, maybe…I dunno'…you might be willing to work with the law, instead of against it. You already have sufficient training that would qualify you…for working…with, say…the Teen Titans?" Cyborg implied, hopeful of her response.

His own personal experiences with Jinx lead him to believe she wasn't really evil. She was just following orders. She obeyed the HAEYP. She obeyed Brother Blood. Nothing she had done was of her own choice. Maybe she just needed the right kind of people around her. Maybe he could be one of those people.

Cyborg remembered that longing look she had given him after he'd been exposed, following him turning on Brother Blood_. "You could've been one of us."_ Her voice echoed in his mind.

"You could be one of us." Cyborg spoke quietly.

"You say something?" came Jinx over the phone.

Cyborg immediately snapped out of it. Had he thought that, or actually said it out loud? He looked at the phone in his hand. _"Crud!" _he thought.

"Uh…sorry, we must have a bad connection or something." He scrambled to recover.

"Anyway, I don't think I'd get along too well with a couple a goodie goodies. I haven't exactly done a heck of a lot to inspire trust. Thanks, but no thanks."

Cyborg's shoulders drooped in slight disappointment. "Sorry ya feel that way."

"Well, if you don't have anything else to add, I'd better be going." She said, trying to sound polite.

"Uh, yeah." Cyborg gave a sheepish smile, trying to buck up. "Well, we'll um…be in touch."

"Right." She said, he could hear her voice becoming a bit distant from the receiver, probably about to hang up. "Oh, and Cyborg?" her voice came back.

Cyborg's eyes bulged.

"You're a lousy liar." She said swiftly, a laugh accompanying her remark. And with that, the line clicked, followed by the dial tone.

Cyborg put the phone down, in disbelief. How'd she know it was him?

"Ahem" BeastBoy cleared his throat, reminding Cyborg of his presence.

Cyborg turned, finding BeastBoy with the same evil grin as before. He'd probably announced who was calling when he dialed. Cyborg took a step towards him, towering over the green elf.

"You probably think you're real clever, don't ya?" giving a grin of his own, bringing himself down to eye level.

BeastBoy gave a nod.

"Well, think again. Cause now, it's payback time." Cyborg smirked, grinding his knuckles into his hand.

BeastBoy knew this was coming, but it was worth it. Besides, Cyborg knew it was nothing personal. It was just a game. What's the worst that Cyborg could do? He suddenly re-thought that question. What was the WORST CYBORG COULD DO? A sudden uneasy feeling overcame BeastBoy.

"Now, then. Raven?" Cyborg asked, much to BeastBoy's surprise. "Truth or Dare?"

Even BeastBoy could figure out what Cy was up to. He was going to use Raven to either get to him, get even with him, or humiliate him.

Raven, for a change, was on the same wavelength as BeastBoy. She knew what Cyborg's motive was. Frankly, she could've cared less what Cyborg wanted to do to BeastBoy, but she didn't really like the idea of being used to do other people's dirty work. However, she decided to play along, at least until she found out what he had in mind.

"Very well." Raven sighed. "Dare"

Cyborg was pleasantly surprised. He thought for sure she would've taken truth. Then again, knowing Raven, she probably wouldn't have wanted to expose any secrets about herself that'd come back to haunt her later on at the hands of BeastBoy.

"Alright. Raven, I dare you…" Cyborg pondered for a moment. It had to be something special. "To spend one wee…No! One month with BeastBoy." He grinned.

BeastBoy and Raven looked dumbfounded at Cyborg.

"Excuse me?" Raven raised an eyebrow.

"You heard me. You two have to spend one month in each other's company." He smiled. "Or you think maybe you couldn't go that long without killin' each other?"

BeastBoy and Raven looked at each other, before turning simultaneous glares at Cyborg. BeastBoy opened his mouth about to speak. But before he could say one word, Raven rose to her feet from off the couch.

"First of all, I have long since been subjugated to BeastBoy's company, and yet, he still lives and breathes." Raven pointed out calmly.

"Yeah!" BeastBoy agreed.

"Regardless of how intolerable he may be." She added.

"Yea…Hey! Not you too, Raven." He frowned. Was everyone getting in on this?

"Secondly, though I do not play such games as frequently as you, I do know that dares only last for the duration of the game." She counted her fingers, listing her reasons.

Cyborg just folded his arms, listening seriously to Raven's grievances.

"Lastly, that criteria makes it closer to a bet, not a dare." She finished.

Cyborg rubbed his head. She had valid points, all of them. "Ok, then. It's a bet!" he exclaimed. "I bet you two couldn't go one whole month in one another's presence. And I mean everything! Eating together, doing chores together, EVERYTHING."

"Ahem!" Raven cleared her throat.

"Oh, right. Except, sleeping together." He corrected.

"Ahem!" BeastBoy cleared his throat.

"Oh! And, going to the bathroom together." He added.

Raven and BeastBoy, by chance, looked at one another, quickly looking away. BeastBoy turned to hide a slight blush creeping across his cheeks, while Raven merely lifted her hood up.

"So, it's a bet then!" Cyborg smiled.

Raven looked at Cyborg. "I simply explained what sounded like a bet. I never said I'd go through with it." And with that, Raven turned, leaving the room.

"Sorry, dude." BeastBoy remarked, "Looks like you are the champ no more." He grinned, leaving as well.

"Wha?" Cyborg let out, watching them leave. "Hey! Wait!" he called after them. But it was too late, they were both well out the door.

Seconds after their departure, the doors opened once more. In stepped Starfire, with Robin's arm draped over her shoulder, assisting him inside following his nauseating experience. Robin still looked a little worse for wear, faint shades of green still visible on his face. Every now and then, his cheeks would swell up, looking as though he was about to be sick, but forced it back down, swallowing the sick feeling.

Starfire gave a quick glance behind her, apparently noting BeastBoy and Raven's retreat. "Am I correct in assuming we have missed the remainder of the festivities?" she asked, hoisting Robin up closer, getting a firmer hold of him. "The game is over?"

Cyborg stood, scratching his chin. "The festivities are done all right." He said slyly, a smirk once again taking shape. "But the game is far from over."

**Next Chapter:** Cyborg seems committed on getting Raven and BeastBoy to go along with the bet. But can he actually convince them to take part in such a thing? How do you get two people, so different from one another, almost complete opposites, to take part in a wager involving them to coexist?


	3. Wanna' Bet?

**Quality Time**

**Chapter 3: Wanna' Bet?**

Cyborg proceeded down what seemed like an endless hallway, but it only seemed endless because he was taking his time. He walked slowly, taking only half the distance he'd normally take with each step, deep in thought. The day had barely begun, and his thoughts reassured him there was still ample time to do what needed to be done. He had pretty much worked out everything in his mind. Now, it was only a matter of putting it into action.

"Okay", he said to himself in preparation, taking a deep breath to calm his nerves. "Just be cool. Be calm," he gave himself a pep talk, "And don't do anything BeastBoy'd do."

He came to a stop, turning to face his destination. A door with Raven's name written clearly in big bold letters greeted him, though not with the most welcome of thoughts. The residence and sanctuary of Raven was a place not to be taken lightly, especially to someone who'd made the mistake of entering uninvited as he had in the past. Who knew what other sorts of mystery and mysticism awaited behind this same door.

He shakily raised his arm, gripping his hand, moving it towards the center of the door. He gently wrapped on the door with his metallic knuckles, careful so as not to annoy Raven by merely banging at her door.

"Uh, Raven? You got a sec?" he called, trying to maintain a casual tone, so as not to imply the purpose of his visit.

The bet was that purpose. Cyborg was still hung up on the suggested dare, turned wager, from the short, but still entertaining, round of Truth or Dare. A simple enough stipulation, involving the constant company of two of his fellow friends and teammates. A dare worthy of it's own sitcom in Cyborg's opinion.

The bet would require that BeastBoy and Raven remain constantly in close quarters with one another's company. Difficult? Perhaps not. But with the two intended individuals in question, it would be far from easy. Raven and BeastBoy could very well be closest to complete opposites as imaginable. BeastBoy, an energetic, over imaginative, fun loving, over the top prankster, and Raven, a quiet, passive, emotionally limited, empath. It was like comparing day to night. Getting two, so completely different from one another, to accept such a thing would be an improbable task. Improbable, but not impossible, at least not for someone like Cyborg.

Cyborg knew that they'd both be reluctant, if not completely against it, to undertake such an arrangement, especially Raven, but he figured if he could get one of them to go along with it, it'd be easier to convince the other. And seeing as how Raven would prove to be the most difficult to convince, it'd be best to start with her. If he could get Raven to accept, BeastBoy would be a breeze to persuade in comparison.

"Raven?" he called again, not getting an answer. "Raven, you in there?" he spoke a little louder, knocking once more.

Cyborg cracked open the door, just enough to peer inside. Perhaps she was deep in meditation, or fully involved in one of her books, and failed to hear him. From what little he could make out through the crack in the doorway, it appeared she wasn't inside. Going against his better judgment, he widened the opening, moving the door just enough to poke his head through, but as before, there was still no sign of Raven.

Cyborg leaned back,looking around behind him, scanning both ends of the hall. Certain that no one was around, and furthering his chances, he opened the door fully, and cautiously stepped inside. He moved quietly, or at least as quiet as possible for someone with reinforced metal feet, a few steps into Raven's room, curious as to whether or not she truly wasn't there.

"Raven? Um...Don't mean to bother you or anything...but, if you're in here, I need to talk to you." he said, just above a whisper. "Raven?"

The room was dark, and not just because of Raven's 'cheery' taste in decoration. The storm was still going on outside, giving hardly any light through the window, save for the occasional burst of lightning. The tapping of the rain and the wind blowing against the window only served to amplify the haunting atmosphere.

Cyborg gulped, swallowing hard the sense of uncomfortable fear building inside of him. He looked around him, feeling as though the many trinkets and objects around her room were coming alive, watching him. The lightning flashed, illuminating a statue of a black bird with red eyes perched above a nearby bookshelf, seeming to cast an eerie gaze at him. Cyborg took a step backwards, beginning to be intimidated as thoughts began to wander about what might be lurking in the unseen shadows. This was Raven's room after all. If she had a mirror that led to another dimension and a cursed spell book with someone imprisoned inside of it, who knows what else might be in the room with him. His glance shifted to the other side of the room, this time catching the lighting lit up a pair of drama masks that hung on the wall. One smiling, one frowning, but both with sets of eyes that seemed to follow move after trembling move. The pupil of his human eye shifted more frequently, no longer intimidated, now in the grip of steady fear.

"O-okay," he stuttered slightly, "Guess you're...not in here, then." He spoke out loud, doing his best to retain his firm voice.

But, trying not to sound scared didn't seem to overshadow the fact that he was nervously backing out the way he'd come in. His arms were out to his sides, definitely alarmed, not taking his eyes off of the many sights in front of him that seemed to startle his senses.

A sudden crack of thunder boomed, the light from the window scaling the shadows of the room to the ceiling, the final straw that served to officially scare Cyborg clean out his hard drive. His breathing became more erratic, turning to exit the room, only to come face to face with another shadowy figure. The lightning flashed once more, highlighting the gaze of a pair of menacing eyes, staring him down.

"GAAAAAAHHHH!" he yelled, reeling backwards four and a half steps, falling flat on his backside, a hand over his face and his teeth chattering.

In an instant, several candles scattered around the various corners of the room lit up, their gentle flames bringing a warm glow, banishing the darkness and dispelling the panic in Cyborg's view. Through the aid of the candlelight, Cyborg looked up to see what, or rather whom, had startled him.

Raven stood before him, waving her hand in a half circular motion, lowering the intensity of the candles. She stared passively at the mechanical man on the floor, who was slowly beginning to regain himself, caught off guard by the sudden shock.

"Geez, Raven!" he said, his normal voice returning, a hand over the right side of his chest. "If I still had a heart, it'd be having an attack right now."

Raven removed her hood, still unchanging of her expression.

"I'm serious, Rae. You nearly scared me half to death." he said, getting to his feet.

"Only half?" she replied dryly, moving past him, taking up a meditative position above her bed.

Cyborg sighed. "Okay, I suppose I deserve that for comin' in your room and all," he offered sympathetically, "But I just wanted to talk to ya."

Raven hovered above her bed, her eyes closed, her palms faced upwards, slowly beginning the process of delving deep into her usual trance to focus her mind. "So? Talk," she said bluntly.

Cyborg leaned against the wall, his arms folded, staring up at the ceiling, not knowing exactly where to begin. "Well...Ya know that dare I came up with? Or should I say, that bet?"

Raven remained silent.

"I've been thinkin', and I was wondering..." he began, his head tilted to the side.

"No." she said in her usual monotone.

"No? No what?" he queried. "I haven't even gotten to anything resembling a question."

"No need. You came here to ask me to consider taking part in that ridiculous wager," she said, opening one eye half way. "Why else would you come to speak to me so soon after the game? I refused then, as I am refusing now." Raven closed her eye, turning her attention back to meditation.

"Alright, so you know why I'm here. Then, you should also know that I don't give up that easily." he said with a confident smile.

"Cyborg, I wasn't born yesterday. You've got an angle going here. Out of sheer curiosity, just what do you stand to gain should I participate in this infantile game of yours?" she opened both eyes, giving him her full attention, curious as to what his response would be.

"Me?" he replied innocently.

Raven just stared, obviously not buying the act.

"Look, all I'm getting outta this is the plain and simple satisfaction that I came up with something YOU couldn't do, and bragging rights on BeastBoy, and besides, I have a title to protect." he grinned, a mental image of himself holding up a gold championship belt, with the words "Truth or Dare" engraved on it, entering his mind.

"Sorry. Still not interested." she said, unenthusiastic as ever.

The grin disappeared from Cyborg's face, replaced by a look of desperation. "Aw, C'mon Raven! Just be a sport, will ya?" he asked, nearly groveling, but maintaining his dignity. "Tell ya what, I'll sweeten the deal." he snapped his fingers, a hopeful smile returning. "I mean, it's only fair that you get somethin' outta this too, right? For your trouble," he offered.

"Cyborg, this may come as somewhat of a shock to you," she turned, her whole body facing Cyborg, hovering lower, "But unlike BeastBoy, I cannot be swayed by your petty and childish offerings of video games, food, or your homemade techno toys." She turned away, her point being made.

"You sure about that?" he asked, smiling slyly. A compartment on Cyborg's lower thigh opened. He reached inside, removing something, holding it closer for Raven's inspection. "I thought something like this'd be perfect for you."

Cyborg held out what looked like a pair of wireless earpieces, complimented by his own personal craftsmanship. Beside the right earpiece were three colored buttons, one red, one blue, and one green. Aside from that, fairly normal in appearance.

"Not much of a music lover," she said, thinking hardly anything of his offer.

Cyborg frowned. "These aren't just some headphones ya plug into a cd player. These are...'special'."

"Special, how?" Raven asked, raising an eyebrow.

Cyborg smiled, suspecting he'd sparked her interest. "Well, several months ago, when we were squarin' off against Brother Blood, I started tinkering around with a few ideas to come up with a way to protect us from Blood's mind control, and I just happened to come up with these little babies."

Raven took one of the earpieces from his hand, examining it thoroughly. "I fail to see how something like this would've been a benefit to the team. What was your intention? To distract ourselves from being controlled by playing music at max volume, shattering our eardrums?" she remarked in her empty tone.

"How many times I gotta tell you? These AREN'T typical headphones. They have one very unique feature," he boasted, taking the one piece from Raven's hand, carefully placing both in her respective ears. "See, besides being almost unnoticeable, my original intention was for them to block out hypnotic suggestion. But, they double as being state of the art sound filters."

Raven looked at him, still unsure why he'd offer these to her.

"Allow me to demonstrate," he offered. Cyborg pushed the red button, just below the earpiece on Raven's right ear. "It's a three part system." he explained, "The red button activates a tiny enhanced digital microphone, recording the exact pitch, wavelength, and frequency of a particular sound. The blue button..." Cyborg pushed the blue button.

Raven had her eyes closed, still in a light trance of meditation, waiting for him to finish this ridiculous presentation of his, but she began to grow impatient, hearing nothing from him after a few seconds. If he was trying to build suspense, all he was doing was getting on her nerves.

"Cyborg, if you're not going to tell me, then leave. I have no intention of..." she turned, to give Cyborg a glare, usually reserved for BeastBoy. However, as soon as she opened her eyes, looking at Cyborg, she stopped in mid sentence.

Cyborg's mouth was moving, but nothing was coming out. No words, not so much as a peep, as if his mouth had a mute button. But to her surprise, she could hear everything else, clear as day. She turned, facing the window, still able to hear the rain coming down outside. She leaned over, picking up a nearby book, thumbing through, able to hear the crisp sounds of the pages. She returned her view to Cyborg, who was grinning. He opened his mouth wide, as if he were shouting, stomping his feet, flailing his arms wildly, trying to illustrate how much of a commotion he was making. She could hear his feet making contact against the floor, but again, his voice seemed to be the only thing lacking.

"Okay! I get it," she said, folding her arms, signaling him not to stress his point any further.

Cyborg leaned over, pushing the green button on her earpiece. "See?" he said, his voice registering once more. "Once the device records the sound, the blue button isolates it, filtering it out of your line of hearing, and of course, the green button restores it," he explained proudly.

Raven looked at him briefly before removing the earpieces to look upon them in a new light, a bit impressed by Cyborg's invention. A device that could drown out a particular noise or sound, without silencing everything else.

"Just imagine it, Rae," he said, trying to plant a thought in Raven's head, "No more interruptions during your meditation? Reading in total silence? Heck, a plane could take off ten feet from your room, and you wouldn't even flinch in your sleep."

She was beginning to see where he was going with this. Calmness and silence were two things vital to Raven further controlling her powers. Not to mention, at times, her sanity.

"And that's not even the best part," he grinned once more.

She gave no verbal reply, but listened intently.

"If these little wonders will block out my voice, imagine what, or...WHO, else they'll block out," his grin widened, leaving Raven to come to her own conclusions.

With the thought of a safeguard against all possible noise, distraction, and annoyance, a single name registered in her mind.

BeastBoy.

The thought seemed too good to be true. She could almost visualize it. BeastBoy doing his victory dances following videogames, without so much as hindering her reading in the main room, his corny jokes, literally falling on deaf ears.

"But…if you're not interested," Cyborg said, removing the earpieces from Raven's hand, "I guess I'll just put these back in storage." He smiled.

Raven's thought burst.

"WAIT!" she called, just as Cyborg turned to take his leave.

"Yeeesss?" he said in a cocky manner, turning slowly, knowing he'd baited her.

Raven quickly realized how she sounded, clearing her throat, regaining her uncaring tone. She ceased her meditative position, down off the bed, and gracefully landed lightly on her feet on the floor.

"It would seem a waste to just…lock them up somewhere. Especially considering their obvious…potential. To the team, of course," She said dryly.

"Of course," Cyborg nodded, grinning once more.

"And I'm sure I could find the time to…er…um…properly field test them," she explained, trying not to sound so as if it mattered to her, taking a few steps towards him.

"I'm sure," he agreed, teasing her further, dangling the earpieces beside him.

There was what seemed like a long silence that followed.

Raven was still having an inner debate with herself. Was it really worth it? _"One month, alongside BeastBoy, the single element aside from my father, that requires constant restraint and control to maintain my powers from lashing out. And for what? Some insignificant little plaything of Cyborg's?" _she reasoned mentally.

"_Okay, maybe not so insignificant,"_ She thought. One month of sheer annoyance, in exchange for a possible lifetime of peaceful bliss. A fair enough trade. _"After all, there is an old saying that it's always darkest before the dawn."_

A cascade of BeastBoy's annoying habits and behavior popped into her head at that moment.

"_Then again, there's another saying, that which does not KILL YOU, makes you stronger."_ She frowned. _"But why would I ever want to be THAT strong?"_

"Well?" Cyborg asked, reminding her he was still there, breaking her train of thought.

Raven turned to her side, staring at the wall, taking a moment more to fully think through her decision.

"Very well," She sighed, turning to face him. "One month. And not a day more," she said sternly, almost warning him not to test her.

"Deal," He agreed. "One whole month, side by side with one another. We'll discuss it more thoroughly as soon as I take care of one other detail," He waved, turning to leave.

"Hold it." She said, stopping him cold.

Cyborg turned once more.

"Aren't you forgetting something?" she asked, holding out her hand, as if expecting payment.

"Oh, you mean 'these'?" he held the earpieces up to eye level.

Raven gave a slight nod.

"Absolutely," He smiled, extending his hand towards Raven's, seemingly to hand them over. "Just as soon as you go through the 'whole' thirty days of the bet." He snatched his hand away.

After having her hopes thoroughly dashed, she gave a cold look to Cyborg. He obviously had never intended to give them to her right away, merely to lure her into it.

"It's not that I don't trust ya, Rae," he smiled, lightly tossing the earpieces into the air and catching them, "I just wouldn't want ya to go and change your mind."

Her cold look was now an uncomfortable glare.

"Besides, these'd make it too easy. The bet isn't necessarily challenging if ya can just tune out the person you're suppose to be stuck with," He pointed out, teasingly.

Raven's threshold of tolerance for Cyborg's teasing had reached its limit, her eyes crackling with a white glow. Stacks of books from the shelves behind her began to levitate into the air, swarming above her like provoked hornets. A black aura engulfed the litter of books, steadying their movement, almost if they were being aimed.

"Heh heh," Cyborg laughed nervously, taking a step back towards the door. "Well…uh…guess I'd better be goin'."

Cyborg took another step backwards. At the exact same time, Raven took a step towards Cyborg, the swarm of books moving with her, trained on her intended target.

"OKAY! LATER! BYE!" he blurted out, quickly turning to leave. In one swift motion, he flung open the door, leapt into the hall, and slammed the door behind him. He stood against the door, breathing a sigh of relief. "Phew!" he gasped.

WHAM!

The barrage of books hit the door with such velocity, leaving imprints in the solid metal surface of the door, surrounding Cyborg where he stood with near misses. Cyborg's head creaked, turning to find the many projectiles perfectly contoured around him, coming no closer than a centimeter from making contact. He knew it was no accident, nor dumb luck, that the books had not found their mark. This was merely Raven's way of saying, "Try that again, and you'll be sorry."

He inched away from the door, moving down the hall, anxiously putting distance between himself and Raven's room. Phase one was a success.

Back inside, Raven breathed heavily, venting her irritation. Her breathing eventually slowed, calming herself once more.

"What have I gotten myself into?" she muttered, holding her head in her hand.

Cyborg continued down the hall, a smile on his face, and a bounce in his step. The hard part was over. Raven had given her consent to the bet. Compared to her, BeastBoy would be a cinch to persuade.

Cyborg proceeded further down the hall, approaching BeastBoy's door. He reached to knock, but stopped suddenly at the sound of a loud commotion coming from inside, resembling a crash.

"BB?" he called, baffled by the noise. "Everything okay in there, man?"

There was no answer.

"BeastBoy, you alright?" he asked louder, beginning to grow concerned. He put his ear up against the door, listening for any kind of activity.

Another crash boomed from behind the door, accompanied by what he could make out as grunting, implying a struggle. Cyborg stepped beside the door, his back firmly against the wall, his arm converting to his sonic cannon. _"An intruder? BeastBoy's primal form attempting to get loose again?"_ he thought. Either way, a definite cause for alarm.

A roar could be heard from inside. Cyborg flinched, getting a slight chill. No animal BeastBoy had ever turned into made a noise like that. His hand quivered as he slowly reached for the door, his arm cannon charged and at the ready.

As his reach was nearing the door, a loud snarl came from inside, causing Cyborg to gulp in hesitation. After pausing briefly, he reached once more, feeling as if he was about to break into a cold sweat.

Just as his fingers began to brush against the door, it burst open, a blur darting past him. Cyborg turned, taking aim at whatever had been ejected from the room. His sonic cannon hummed as he turned, about to let loose a thunderous blast.

It appeared to be nothing more than a sizable pile of clothes. He lowered his weapon, puzzled, taking a step towards the pile. But before he could further inspect it, something shot out of the doorway, wrapping around his arm, taking a firm hold of him.

"WHAT THE?" Cyborg yelled, caught off guard.

What appeared to be some sort of tentacle had formed a tight grip around his arm cannon. Cyborg struggled, mustering his strength, grabbing hold of it with his other free hand. He pulled at it vigorously, literally tearing it into pieces, and quite easily at that. It squealed, retreating back into BeastBoy's room, leaving Cyborg dumbfounded. What had just happened?

He looked down at what little pieces remained in his hand from his attacker. Despite it's strong attachment to his arm, it had been made of cloth. The ripped fragments, upon closer examination, appeared to be…sleeves. Had Cyborg been attacked by some sort of possessed clothing?

Before he could attempt to make sense of the matter further, several other tentacles shot out from the doorway. Apparently, whatever it was, was merely regrouping. One tentacle grabbed his torso, another his left leg, another took hold of him by the neck. Their hold was much tighter this time. Cyborg grabbed one, attempting to tear it apart, as before, but it was different this time. The tentacles were now of stronger material, much denser than before. They were heavier, with numerous layers of clothing over each part.

Cyborg pulled and pulled, but it did little to loosen their grip on him. And, he still had no clue as to what he was dealing with. His answer came soon enough.

From the doorway emerged a large bulky mass of, what appeared to be, clothing in the shape of a large octopus. Numerous pieces of swirling clothing made up its almost blob like form. Shirts, pants, socks, everything was a living moving part of its body. Not to mention it gave off a stench that could drop a charging rhino. Moving closer to Cyborg, it made a gurgling sound, giving the possible notion of hunger.

"What…the heck…are you!" he shouted, still struggling to break free. "And what've you done to BeastBoy!"

The creature moved closer, a shirt close to the middle of what he assumed was its head, bent into the shape of an eye, taking a closer look at its captive.

"Ugh! And would a breath mint kill ya?" he yelled, ceasing his struggle momentarily to fan the foul odor with his hand.

The creature apparently took offense to the remark, creating a large opening below it's newly formed eye, making its mouth visible, with socks as its teeth. It roared, leaving Cyborg nowhere but its dark insides of denim and cotton material to look.

Cyborg shut his eyes, as if accepting his fate, waiting for the end to come. Who would've ever guessed? Out of all the villains, all the perils, all the dangers he'd faced as a teen hero, he was going to be done in by somebody's laundry.

"LET HIM GO!" came a muffled yell.

Cyborg's eyes popped open.

He looked over at the pile of laundry that had first been sent hurdling out of BeastBoy's room that was now beginning to squirm. An arm poked through one side, followed by a leg on the opposite side. The pile gave a low rumble, before a green gorilla burst free from the pile. The gorilla pounded its chest, giving a commanding roar of its own. The gorilla morphed, BeastBoy resuming his human form.

"Hang on, Cy! I'll save ya!" he announced, lowering his stance as if he was ready to attack.

Cyborg's face went blank. His mouth cracked ever so slightly, hinting a smile.

Then came the sound of repressed chuckling. The chuckling quickly erupted into boundless laughter, Cyborg now holding his side, taking his hand away briefly, only to point at BeastBoy. He was laughing his head off, or at least he would if wasn't so firmly bolted into his neck.

By this time, even the creature was giving off sounds equivalent to laughter. His grip loosened on Cyborg, but he was too preoccupied to notice. Soon, both Cyborg and the creature were holding one another, so hysterical in a fit of laughter. They needed one another to keep their balance.

"Dude! What gives?" he asked, scratching his head, but feeling something strange. It was then that he picked up on what struck them as so funny. BeastBoy's eyes looked up, finding that in his escape from the pile of laundry, a pair of green underwear with a pattern of teddy bears had found its way atop his head, wearing it like a hat.

"EEK!" he squeaked, snatching them off his head, stuffing them in his back pocket. "I really gotta get a new wardrobe," he said to himself. However, this did little to cease Cyborg and the creature's laughter.

BeastBoy just looked at him, annoyed. And he was supposed to be in danger? He merely tapped his foot, waiting impatiently for Cyborg to stop laughing. After coming to the conclusion he might be waiting a while, he decided to simply get on with it.

"Alright already!" he shouted.

BeastBoy morphed into a bull, snorting, stamping his rear hoof against the ground. He charged the creature, making contact, hitting it head on. But because it was made out of clothing, the creature was not solid, causing him to run right through, colliding with the wall. The impact reverted BeastBoy back to human form, rolling backwards, coming to a stop right from where he started.

Rubbing his head, and shaking the dazed feeling, he got to his feet. He looked up to find the creature looming over him, the lighter moment of laughter gone, Cyborg still in his grasp. Several tentacles, formed out of shirtsleeves and pant legs, shot at him, attempting to grab him. BeastBoy morphed into a jackrabbit, springing from side to side, avoiding its swipes.

He then took on the shape of a large snake, wrapping around the creature, attempting to get a hold of his own. But again, the creature was not a solid. It was merely a hollow mass of clothing. BeastBoy squeezed as hard as he could, but he felt as if he was squeezing nothing at all. The creature simply plucked the snake by its head with one of its tentacles, uncoiling it from around its body, tossing it aside. BeastBoy returned to human state in mid air, landing on his feet. Once more, it looked down menacingly at BeastBoy.

He was starting to run out of ideas. How do you a fight a living pile laundry? BeastBoy tried to think. _"If I was a bunch dirty clothes, what would scare me off?" _he thought. His eyes went wide as idea struck him, bringing a mischievous smile to his face.

The creature advanced towards BeastBoy.

"Stay back!" he commanded, reaching behind him, pulling a bottle of liquid detergent, "I've got SOAP, and I'm not afraid to use it!" he grinned, shaking the bottle threateningly at it.

The creature pulled back, hissing like a vampire caught in daybreak. It turned, dropping Cyborg face first onto the ground, scurrying back into BeastBoy's room, slamming the door behind it.

BeastBoy breathed a sigh of relief. "Laundry day gets rougher every month," He said, tossing the bottle over his shoulder.

BeastBoy walked over to Cyborg, who was still unmoving, planted face down into the floor.

"Yo, Cy," He said, rolling his friend over onto his back, "You okay?"

Cyborg groaned, his eyes closed, clearly still out from the combination of shock and confusion from struggling against a living mass of laundry and being dropped on his face.

BeastBoy nudged his shoulder, trying to snap him out of it, but it seemed to have no effect. Scratching his chin briefly, another idea came to him. He reached into his pocket, pulling out a snack bar of tofu, removing the wrapper and waving it under Cyborg's nose.

"Wakey wakey", he hummed, as Cyborg's nostrils twitched, picking up the scent.

Cyborg's eyes shot open, revived instantly, almost vaulting backwards.

"YO! Keep that stuff away from me!" he shouted, his hand up in front of him, furiously refusing the smell, sight, and all around hint of anything involving BeastBoy's tofu.

BeastBoy grinned. "Tofu. Is there anything it can't do?"

Cyborg got to his feet, popping open a digital readout on his arm, doing a system's check. There didn't seem to be any real damage.

"So, what's up, Cyborg?" BeastBoy asked, dusting himself off.

Cyborg closed the readout monitor. "Well…I needed to talk to you abou…HEY! Hold up!" He exclaimed, realizing the need for answers, "JUST WHAT THE HECK WAS THAT THING?"

"Uh…what thing?" he replied sheepishly, quickly blocking his view of the remnants of laundry lying in the hall, attempting to scoot them behind him with his foot.

"Don't play dumb with me, man," He said scornfully, bringing himself down to eye level with his green friend, "That THING was made out of YOUR clothes. Plus, it practically had your signature stank smell of year old socks and wet fur." He folded his arms, awaiting an explanation.

"Okay, first off, how could I possibly bring laundry to life? Secondly, how do you know those were ALL my clothes? And third, my smell is more like MONTH old socks and wet fur." He crossed his arms.

Cyborg raised an eyebrow, still not convinced. True, BeastBoy didn't have the power to do anything even close to bringing life to inanimate objects. But there were only two things in the tower that could. Raven's magic, or…

"You didn't happen to leave some of Star's cooking lying around in there, did you?" he asked.

"ME?" BeastBoy asked, nervously. "No! No, no no no!"

Cyborg continued to stare, unconvinced at the young changeling.

"Well…maybe," He twiddled his thumbs, glancing off to the side.

Cyborg sighed. "Man, you should know better than to leave anything Star makes just lying around. And in your room of all places?"

"What's that supposed to mean? Just what's so wrong about my room?" he argued.

"Oh, nothing. Other than the fact that it's the equivalent to living in a nuclear fallout," Cyborg replied, "That, on top of Starfire's cooking, and you're just askin' for trouble."

"It's not my fault," He pouted, thinking back to the events that had led up to the incident. "Last month, Star was celebratin' one of her fancy shmancy alien holidays, and brought me this dish of…uh…'something'. And…well…I just didn't have the heart to just toss it, even if it was potentially hazardous to my health."

"Couldn't be much worse than all that tofu soy crud you pack down," He chuckled, annoying his green friend. "Did you at least try it?"

"No."

"Why not?" Cyborg asked curiously.

"Well, I looked at it…and…something looked back," BeastBoy answered, shriveling his face in disgust.

"Ya couldn't have just said, 'no thanks'?"

"Dude, you know as well as I do how Star goes from zero to weepy in under 3 seconds," he pointed out.

"Suppose ya got a point there," Cyborg agreed.

"Anyway, I guess I left it aside for just a little too long," He continued, "Good thing I didn't try it. Anything that can incubate inside somebody's laundry, and bring clothes to life, can't be good for ya."

"No kiddin," Cyborg said, glancing at the door, "I wouldn't worry though. Not even an adaptive alien life form could survive for long in there." He grinned.

"Oh, come on! It's not THAT bad!" he protested.

At that moment, the door to BeastBoy's quarters opened.

Cyborg turned, taking aim with his sonic cannon, BeastBoy in attack mode once more, but what greeted them was far from threatening.

The creature emerged, sluggishly grabbing the doorframe with its tentacles, struggling to balance its own weight. It drunkenly weaved from side to side, pale spots of green visible all over. It looked as if it was convulsing, gasping for breath, piece by piece of clothing falling off, becoming lifeless upon touching the ground, as it appeared to be starting to wither.

"You're right. It's not that bad," Cyborg agreed, lowering his cannon, "It's worse."

"What do ya' think's wrong with it?" BeastBoy asked, puzzled.

"Don't know. Maybe it found it's way into your closet," he joked.

The creature was now crawling desperately, no more than a hand full of shirts clawing along the ground. It gave up only a foot away from the two teens, trembling, on the brink of expiring. And then, with its final breath, hacked up a single gym sock, spitting it onto the floor. It then gave up, collapsing onto the ground, returning to a lifeless mound of clothing. A tiny purple slug like creature crawled out from under the pile, obviously the remains of Starfire's dish that had brought life to the clothes. Leaving a trail of thick slime behind it, the parasite gave a weak cough, before also falling over, sharing the fate of its laundry based form.

Cyborg bowed his head. Even if it had tried to eat him, BeastBoy's room was a fate he wished on no one.

BeastBoy picked up the sock with two fingers, pinching it closely to his nose, taking a small whiff. "sniff sniff Hmm…" he said, reminiscing in his mind. "2003. A very good year," He complimented the aroma.

Cyborg's tongue hung out of his mouth, "Okay, I did NOT need to know that."

BeastBoy shrugged, flinging the sock over his shoulder. He then began gathering up the stray articles of clothing that littered the hall, depositing them in a pile back inside his room.

"You will WASH those before you wear'em, right?" Cyborg asked, standing in the doorway.

"Don't sweat it," he reassured him, walking back out into the hall, joining his friend.

Cyborg shook his head, rolling his eyes. Somehow, he found that less than reassuring.

"By the way, didn't you say you wanted to talk to me, or something?" BeastBoy asked, leaning against the wall beside him.

Everything came flooding back to Cyborg. In the midst of all the excitement, he'd forgotten why he came in the first place.

"I did," he began, "Concerning that little wager I came up with earlier."

"Aw, c'mon, Cy," he replied, shaking his head with a smile, "I might not be the most gracious looser, but even I know when to accept defeat."

"Yeah, after you whine for a rematch about fifty times," Cyborg whispered.

BeastBoy heard him, but paid him no mind. "Dude, just let it go. You lost."

Cyborg thought for a moment. "You know what? You're right," he said, smiling, turning and beginning to walk away. "I can live with losing the game…seeing as how you'd loose the bet," he added.

BeastBoy nodded, walking back to his room, but just before he could reach for the door, he caught Cyborg's remark.

"Hey! You don't know that!" he called after him.

"Maybe not," he paused, turning halfway, "But with a record like yours, who's to say ya wouldn't?" And with that, continued down the hall.

BeastBoy stood there, taking a brief moment to let the remark soak in. Cyborg made it sound so certain that he'd loose, almost as if he'd already lost. BeastBoy wasn't about to take this lying down.

"Hey, Cy!" he yelled, running after him, screeching to a halt in front of him. "You don't know for sure that I couldn't do it, but you can't assume that I couldn't do it." He explained, pointing a finger at him. "In fact, we both don't know what'd happen, because we both know that Raven would NEVER agree to anything like that in a million years." He crossed his arms, convinced his point had been made.

"Oh, really?" he grinned. "Well, what would you say if I told you that Raven had already accepted?"

BeastBoy looked at him, slightly in shock. He rolled up his sleeve, looking at his wristwatch, shaking it, putting it up to his ear to make sure it was still working. "Is it one million A.D. already?"

"So, what do ya have to say now, smart guy?" Cyborg asked, in a smug tone, tempting his ego.

BeastBoy didn't want to say no, but he didn't want to say yes either.

"Oh, come on!" he pouted. "You can't really expect me to spend a month with Raven."

"You sounded pretty sure of yourself a few seconds ago. Besides, one month won't kill ya," Cyborg replied.

"The month might not kill me…but Raven is another story," he shivered.

"Come on, man. She'd never REALLY kill you," He said, trying to boost his confidence to undertake the bet.

"You'd be surprised what ya can live through," BeastBoy said, leaning against the wall, sliding down onto the floor. "Raven likes her space, especially the space without me in it."

"Don't you think you're bein' a little hard on yourself?" Cybrog asked, looking down at him. He knew Raven didn't detest him that much.

"That depends. You feelin' sorry for me and not gonna egg me into it?" he asked with a hopeful smile, making a puppy dog face at him.

"Nope."

BeastBoy hung his head. "Must be nice not to have a heart," he said.

"Look, what could be so bad?" he asked, kneeling beside him.

"Are you kidding me? She's probably written a whole book of torture techniques in my honor," BeastBoy said, remembering all the times he'd annoyed her.

"Don't you think you're exaggerating a bit?" Cyborg asked, doubtful Raven would ever go that far, yet somehow not able to completely dismiss the idea.

"Of course I am. It's my nature," he smiled faintly, "But the point is, it's been hard enough to get Raven to…you know…'adapt' to me," he explained, taking on a rare serious tone. "What if I end up doin' something to wreck it? I mean this is ME we're talking about."

Cyborg had never thought to look at it that way. It was definitely a possibility. A prolonged exposure to someone had one of three outcomes. They'd both gain a new perspective of one another and become more respectful and understanding of each other. They'd remain the same way they are now. Or, they'd develop distaste for one another and their company. Or in Raven's case, more distaste.

He could see where he had a point. BeastBoy had gone to certain lengths to try and get Raven to open up. At least, lengths that mostly went as far as a crummy joke and an offer for tofu cuisine. It'd taken quite a while for Raven to develop the tolerance she had of him. He could see why he wouldn't want to jeopardize that.

"Okay, listen up. Cause I'm only gonna say this once," Cyborg started, matching serious expression with BeastBoy, "If Raven was gonna start avoiding you because of how you behaved, trust me, she would've started a long time ago."

BeastBoy looked at his friend, still not completely convinced, but more so than before.

"You're worrying about nothing," Cyborg said with a smile, messing his hair, "Besides, you get some company out of it, you can find out stuff to use against her the next time we want her to play a game with us…" he grinned, reverting back to his conning goal, "Plus, you know I'm just gonna eventually talk you into it one way or another."

BeastBoy smiled, "Tell ya what, Cy. You talked me into it."

Cyborg's smile couldn't get any bigger.

"So, what's in it for me?" BeastBoy asked, catching him off guard.

"Say what?"

"You can't tell me Raven isn't doing this outta the goodness of her heart. There's gotta be something in it for her," he reasoned, "Unless you just blackmailed her, or told her it was somebody's dying wish or something."

BeastBoy froze.

"It…isn't somebody's dying wish, right? It isn't Robin from eating Star's alien zit cream, and you convinced him on his death bed to get her to go along with this, RIGHT!" BeastBoy asked, afraid he'd guessed it.

Just like BeastBoy to exaggerate.

"No. And Robin wouldn't die from eating that stuff," Cyborg reassured him, "At least not unless he went back for seconds," he pondered.

"Oh," he said, a mixture of relief and disappointment. It would've been nice if he'd guessed something right for a change. "Well, in that case, you're definitely bribing her with something. What'd you promise her? A shock collar that zaps me when I get within ten feet of her?" he chuckled.

Cyborg was silent.

"DUDE!"

Cyborg laughed, "Relax. It's nothing like that." He waved his hands, dismissing his worry. "I just didn't even think to offer anything like that."

BeastBoy sighed in relief.

"But, I wish I had. Oh well. Another time," Cyborg whispered, an evil grin on his face.

"Anyway, for putting my own personal safety at risk, I should get something too," BeastBoy continued.

"Okay. What do you want?" Cyborg asked, suspiciously.

"What have you got?" he grinned.

Cyborg thought, trying to think of something BeastBoy would want, and if necessary, something he'd be willing to part with.

"How bout…my enhanced copy of Mega Monkeys 4? Jacked up the difficulty, added bonus levels, and a high score you'll never beat," he boasted.

"Found it, played it, beat it," BeastBoy smiled.

"FOUND IT! When!" Cyborg asked, irritated.

"Two weeks ago. You should really learn to hide your stuff better. Starfire hides Christmas presents better than you hide your private stock of video games," BeastBoy grinned.

"And just who said you could go in my room?" Cyborg asked, giving him a cold stare.

"Cy, you're the biggest little kid I know. You're room is practically a treasure hunt of cool stuff. It'd be impolite not to invade your privacy to get a hold of goodies like that," He said, trying to make it sound sensible. "What else ya got?"

Cyborg was still a little upset with him, but let it slide. After all, it seemed he was willing to go along with the bet.

"How's bout I custom build you a new moped?" he flashed his eyebrows.

"Nah. That's outta my system," he shrugged, "Besides…" he reached into his pocket, pulling out a picture, "Nothing could ever replace what I had." BeastBoy looked solemnly at a photo of the Tidwell 3000, shedding a slight tear.

Cyborg drew back for a second, disturbed he kept a photo of his former moped with him.

"He really needs to let it go. It can't be healthy to obsess over a vehicle," He said to himself, pulling a photo of the T-Car from one of his compartments, snuggling it against his cheek. "Isn't that right, baby?" he said, kissing the photo, and stowing it back in his compartment.

"Look, why don't ya just tell me what you want, and save us both a whole lotta time," Cyborg said.

BeastBoy thought for a second. There wasn't really anything he desperately wanted. No video game seemed to peak his interest, nor did the prospect of Cyborg cooking and partaking of tofu with him. Though, it was tempting.

"Not much I can think of," he said, scratching his head. "Unless…" he trailed off, looking over at his door.

Cyborg gave him a questionable look, getting an uneasy feeling.

"Clean my room," he said, proudly.

There was a brief silence.

"That's it?" Cyborg said, relieved. "Okay, fine. You go for one month in Raven's company, and I'll clean your room," he accepted, cracking open door and having a look inside. "Though, personally, I think you'd be better off calling in an air strike, and starting over," he said.

Cyborg closed the door, extending his hand to his green friend.

"Deal?" Cyborg questioned.

"Deal," BeastBoy nodded, shaking the mechanical man's hand.

"It's a bet, then," he walked past him. "We'll work out the details later. I'm gonna go tell Raven, it's on," he left in the direction of Raven's room, a sinister smile forming.

BeastBoy smiled, watching him leave. However, as soon as Cyborg rounded the corner, disappearing from view, a wave of doubt overcame him. He started having second thoughts, thinking about the potential of what this wager could bring.

"What have I gotten myself into?" he said, turning, reentering his room.

**Next Chapter:** Raven and BeastBoy have agreed to go along with the intended wager, each of them with something to gain. But, how will their first day together play out? Can the two of them coexist without compromising one another's nerves?


	4. The Beginning Or the End

**Quality Time**

**Chapter 4: The Beginning…Or the End**

A new day greeted Jump City. Though small patches of gray still occupied some regions of the sky, the sun was shining, as the storm had passed. Inside Titan's Tower, three of the teen heroes occupied the kitchen, preparing to start off a promising morning in their usual manner. With a few minor exceptions, of course.

Cyborg, discarding his chef's hat, had just settled into his seat, having made the final preparations to his breakfast. He sat down to a large stack of Belgium waffles, piled high with mounds of melted butter and maple syrup, rubbing his hands together and licking his lips in anticipation. He wasted little time, making short work of his meal, ingesting one whole waffle per bite, before chasing it down with a tall glass of orange juice. After one final gulp, he thumped his chest, letting out a monstrous belch that almost seemed to shake the foundation of the tower.

"Whew! 'Scuse me," he let out, covering his mouth from the massive burp, "I'm gonna be gettin' a fan letter from whoever was watching the Richter scale on that one," he chuckled proudly, wiping his mouth with a napkin.

Robin sat opposite of Cyborg at the table, nursing a small glass of juice, still feeling the queasy and nauseous effects of the previous day's dare gone awry. His complexion was rather pale with bags drooping so far below his eyes they were visible even below his mask. It was obvious he had gotten little, if any, sleep.

Starfire sat close beside him, attempting to spoon-feed him a bowl of oatmeal. Starfire, despite earlier feelings of joy for Robin devouring her cooking whole heartedly to please her, even though it was not meant for ingestion, could not help but feel responsible. After all, her concoction was the cause of his unfortunate decline in health.

"Come, Robin," she instructed with a smile, holding out a spoonful of oatmeal, "You must replenish your strength."

Robin glanced at the spoon, finding little appetite. "No… thanks, Star. I'm… not very hungry at the moment," he courteously refused, doing his best to hold a small smile for her concern.

"Oh, but you must," she moved the spoon closer, "I do not know of many who have partaken of the eating of epidermal remedies, but I believe you should at least eat something so that it does not overtake your earthly stomach again."

Robin looked down at the steamy glob of oatmeal, now beginning to dribble off the spoon. His face shriveled at the very sight, still finding no desire to eat. He then looked up from the spoon to Starfire's, almost glowing, face. Her eyes pleaded with him, accompanied by a gentle smile.

"I really don't have much of an appetite right now, Star," he kindly refused, though hesitantly, "Uh… maybe later."

"Please, Robin. I swear on the honor of my Kanorfka that this is Earth based oatmeal," she assured him, dipping the spoon back into the bowl, stirring the oatmeal and getting a fresh scoop. "I believe you have had your fill of Tameranian cooking for a while."

Her assurance did little to further his appetite. Keeping a hand over his stomach, he took a tiny sip of juice, slowly swallowing. It was evident he was trying to be cautious of all food intake, both solid and liquid.

"Perhaps you would prefer to be fed in the Earthly manner to which I have seen on the TV, common among feeding the sick," she stated, a renewed sense of hope.

Robin looked at her questionably. 'Manner on TV for feeding the sick?'

Starfire held out the spoon, a brighter and almost sickening expression of happiness on her face. "Here comes the plane of air," she said in nurturing voice, similar to a mother feeding a small child. Starfire held out the spoon in front of her, literally flying around the room, making noises similar to an infant's impression of an airplane, executing a barrel roll and loopdy loop around the main room. Robin and Cyborg watched, bewildered by the sight.

"Wish my mom did that when she fed me," Cyborg said, slightly in awe.

"Not helping," Robin remarked. "Starfire, it's alright. This isn't necessary. You can come down now," calling to her.

But, Starfire was too caught up in her nurturing moment. She flew one more pass around the room, doubling back, heading straight for Robin, the spoon aimed straight at him.

"Incoming!" Cyborg shouted, ducking under the table.

Robin made an attempt to duck for cover as well, unfortunately the sudden movement jostled his stomach into an uproar, reviving the queasy feeling, accompanied by a small sharp pain in his gut.

Robin held his stomach with both hands, attempting to lessen the agony. He looked up, just as Starfire was only a few feet away, flying at him at top speed.

"Coming in for the landing!" she shouted cheerfully.

Robin was completely immobile. He couldn't leap out of the way without his stomach suffering for it. He could only look on as she continued her approach, awaiting the inevitable…

SLAM!

Starfire collided with Robin, plunging the spoon into his mouth at high velocity, both of them crashing onto the ground.

Cyborg slowly emerged from under the table, surveying the damage.

Robin was flat on his back, out cold, the spoon sticking out of his mouth. Starfire sat up, rubbing her head, sitting across Robin's lap. She quickly regained her senses, looking over at Robin.

"Robin!" she gasped, sitting him up with his shoulders, "Oh, I have done wrong. I did not mean to injure you so." Starfire began to grow misty eyed, pulling him into a small hug. "I wished only to aid you in your recovery. And now, I fear I may have…" Starfire pulled back from the embrace, stopping to notice the spoon sticking out of his mouth. She plucked the spoon from his mouth, finding it empty of any trace of oatmeal.

"Oh, joyous day!" she cried happily, clutching the spoon, allowing Robin to fall flat on his back once more, "I have succeeded in the rekindling your appetite." She was once more in an unbridled frenzy of happiness, getting to her feet. "I shall prepare the next path of flight by which to feed you," she said enthusiastically, rushing to the bowl of oatmeal to fetch another spoonful, making the airplane noises once again.

Cyborg merely shook his head with a smile.

At that moment the door swished open, Raven stepping into the room, making her way over to the kitchen area to prepare her usual cup of herbal tea. She paused a moment to take in the sight of Starfire's 'assistance'.

"Let me guess," she began, reaching into a cabinet, fetching the tea, "Starfire decided to help speed Robin's recovery from yesterday?" she asked, behind Cyborg.

"Yup," he nodded, his back to her, not taking his eyes off the two in front of him.

Raven filled a kettle with water, placing it on the stove. "You know, the ideal way for someone to get better is to 'prevent' further injury," she said dryly, igniting the burner on the stove.

"Outta his hands, I guess. You know how Starfire gets," Cyborg shrugged. "But, knockin' him out aside, you gotta admit it's sweet how she takes care of em'."

Raven gave a look at Cyborg, before turning a quick glance at Starfire, who was happily carrying a still unconscious Robin over to the table. "Any sweeter, and I'll get cavities," she replied.

It didn't take long for the water to boil. Within minutes, the kettle whistled, as a wisp of steam bellowed from the spout. Raven carefully poured the hot liquid into her mug, dabbing the tea bag twice, before letting it settle at the bottom. She brought the mug up to the bottom of her nose, breathing deeply the calming aroma. She gently blew across the top of the mug, cooling it just enough for a quick sip.

"Robin in pain, Starfire playing nurse maid, and you as the spectator of it all. All the elements signifying the start of another perfect morning," Raven said, sarcastically.

Cyborg cracked a smile, coming to a realization.

"On the subject of starting a new day," he began, scanning the room, "Aren't you forgetting something?" he asked slyly.

Raven looked at him, taking another sip of her tea.

"Yes," she said plainly, looking down at her cup, getting up from the table, moving back over to the cabinet. "This tea is more bitter than usual. It could use a dab of honey," she answered, pulling a small bottle of honey from the cabinet.

"I was thinking more along the lines of… say… a certain person you agreed to spend a little quality time with?" he smiled, hinting at what was missing.

Raven looked at him, still an empty expression.

"He's still asleep," she answered, knowing fully well he was referring to BeastBoy, taking another sip of tea.

"So?" Cyborg replied.

"So, when he wakes up, we'll start this ridiculous wager," she said, sitting beside him. "That being said, I'd like to enjoy my tea in peace, seeing as how it might be the last peaceful moment I have for a while." She closed her eyes, breathing deeply the steam rising from her cup.

"Fraid not, Rae," Cyborg said with a smile, leaning against one arm on the table. "The bet was for the course of one month, starting today, you two are inseparable. Thirty days, from sunrise to sunset. We thoroughly went over the ground rules, and you're not changin' anything on me now," he practically gloated.

Raven lowered her mug slightly, shifting her pupils, looking at him only through the corners of her eyes.

"Of course, unless you'd rather forfeit within the first hour, that's fine," Cyborg grinned, rolling his eyes upwards. " No shame in takin' the easy way out, right? I mean, everybody knows their limitations, and no sense tryin' to push yourself over some stupid little toy, right?" he teased, reminding Raven of what was in this for her.

The level of irritation was growing. She knew he was only trying to get under her skin, to rile her up, just to get her to stop stalling and get it over with. And unfortunately, it was working.

"Then again, I'm sure BeastBoy'll be relieved too, bein' let off the hook and all. Then again," he paused, "I figured he woulda' quit before you did."

Raven tried her best to ignore him.

"Guess I just thought the two of you'd at least make it through the first day," he spoke, as if Raven wasn't listening.

Raven's grip on her mug tightened, her fingers heated by her powers beginning to slip, the tea beginning to come to a boil in her cup.

Cyborg got up, slowly walking away from the table with a grin.

"I'll just go tell'em no rush to get up, seein' as how…"

Raven's cup shattered into a dozen pieces, no longer able to restrain her aggravation, startling Cyborg and Starfire, making them jump slightly. Robin still remained motionless, fragments of her cup littered in his hair.

Raven continued to retain her passive expression, staring straight ahead as if nothing had happened. Her hands were still in front of her, holding their position like they were still grasping the mug. Raven rose out of her chair, wringing out a small portion of her cloak, damp from the departed tea. She pulled her hood up, moving past Cyborg towards the door without so much as a word.

Cyborg grinned.

"That's the spirit, Rae," he called after her. "It'll all be over before ya know it."

The door swished open. Raven was about to pass through the doorway, but stopped, turning back to face Cyborg.

"And don't worry," Cyborg offered her, "Robin'll be so busy recuperating, Star'll be so busy helpin' Robin, and I'll be so busy makin' repairs from the storm, you'll never even realize we're around."

Raven's stare hardened.

"So, you two'll pretty much have the place ALL TO YOURSELVES," he teased, in a lovey dovey tone, walking back to the kitchen to deposit his dishes in the sink.

Upon taking care of the dishes, he turned, only to find Raven, up close and personal. She glared at him, almost with a haunting gaze. The lights went out, and a sheet of black energy blocked out the sun from the windows, leaving total darkness, with the exception of the eerie white glow of Raven's eyes.

"Cyborg?" she started, keeping her calm and empty tone, "How many pieces does it take to re-build a robot?"

"Uh…I… dunno'," he responded, nervously.

"Keep pushing, and you'll find out the hard way," she warned, almost menacingly.

Cyborg seemed to shrink, as Raven towered over her, giving him one last look.

Feeling as though her point had been made, Raven turned, exiting the room. The instant the door closed behind her, the lights came back on, along with her powers dissipating from the window.

Starfire peeked out from behind Robin, where she'd been cowering from the sudden creepy atmosphere.

"Despite that we have become closer, there are still moments such as these that Raven's behavior strikes me as… scary," Starfire quivered.

"Tell me about it," Cyborg agreed, looking back at the door. "BeastBoy's gonna' be stuck with a girl who's got a temper like a live grenade."

Starfire hoisted Robin up, flinging him over her shoulder. "Perhaps it would be best if we were to stay out of range," Starfire commented, leaving to bring Robin to his room.

Raven made her way down the hall. She could've merely dematerialized through the floor, and transported herself to BeastBoy's room instantaneously, but was in no rush to get to where she was going. Besides, she felt it would be best to walk off the irritation from Cyborg's last remark.

Raven arrived at her destination, standing in front of BeastBoy's door, taking a few calming breaths. She didn't feel nervous or anything of that nature. It was just that BeastBoy's room was not a common place she often went. And despite the fact that they were in this together, she felt no reason to get off to a bad start by lashing out at him for Cyborg's earlier behavior. No sense in making a bad situation worse.

Finishing her deep breathing, and believing her mind to be in a relatively calm state, she knocked at the door, deeming it to be futile to put this off any further.

"BeastBoy," she said, in her usual monotone.

There came no reply.

Not surprising considering that most of the time, BeastBoy was the last person to get up. Whether it was because of his late night movie watching or his animal metabolism that caused him to sleep more, it didn't really concern her.

"BeastBoy?" she asked, slightly louder, knocking once more.

Still no answer.

Raven sighed, realizing if this were ever going to get underway, she'd have to give things a kick-start, stressing the 'kick'.

Raven reached for the door to open it. To her surprise, it wouldn't budge. She pulled harder, feeling the door wanting to move, not locked, but as if it were jammed somehow. Raven frowned, taking a step back, raising her hand to the door. With a flick of her wrist, the edge of the door was encased in black energy. She eased her wrist to the side, sliding the door open with ease through the assistance of her powers. As the door slid open, small piles of clothes toppled over the entranceway near the bottom of the door, most likely wedged in the track.

Raven stepped over them, cautiously and quietly entering BeastBoy's room. No sooner than two steps inside, it became evident why BeastBoy did not have many visitors to his quarters. The air was stale and old, with a faint smell of dirty laundry, causing Raven to raise her arm, using her cloak to shield her nose from the odor.

"Ugh," Raven whispered to herself, "Would it kill him to open a window?"

The lack of circulation aside, Raven continued to move forward, stepping gingerly over the clumps of scattered clothes on the floor, similar in the fashion of walking through a minefield.

She came to a stop, curiously leaning over to carefully pick up a single shirt that was neatly folded. One clean thing amongst this mess seemed too much to hope for. She shook the shirt, trying to unfold it, curious to see if it was in fact clean. But, it wouldn't budge. Raven shook harder, but the shirt remained as she found it, stiff and unmoving. She tried to pull it apart, but seemed as if the cloth was stuck together. She gently banged it against the wall. The shirt made the sound of granite as it impacted against the surface. The shirt was as solid as a rock.

Raven dropped the shirt, making a heavy thud against the floor. _"He probably doesn't even wash his clothes,"_ she thought, _"He probably just wears them for a month, then burns them. It would seem more practical in his case."_

Raven continued deeper inside, passing the crooked posters and wobbly piles of comic books. She stopped at the foot of BeastBoy's bunk bed, walking around to his bedside, finding him still fast asleep.

BeastBoy was on his side, curled up into a ball, sleeping peacefully, a small amount of drool beside his partially opened mouth. Much to Raven's surprise, he wasn't snoring, as she might of guessed would be fitting of him, which made it seem all the more serene.

Thought hesitant to wake him, but wanting to take her leave of his messy environment, she reluctantly kneeled down. "BeastBoy," she said.

Aside from him stirring slightly, tightening his eyelids, it seemed to have no effect.

"BeastBoy," she called a little louder.

Nothing at all this time.

She bent over, shaking him gently, "BeastBo…"

He rolled over, facing away from her, letting out a tiny yawn.

Raven's patience was wearing thin. "I tried," she said, plainly, her eyes glowing.

With but a thought, BeastBoy's entire body was absorbed into a black aura. Tilting her head upwards, BeastBoy was slammed into the baseboard of his top bunk, and sent crashing back down onto the mattress.

"Ah!" he groaned, holding the back of his head, sitting up. He turned, noticing Raven. Almost instantly, a math problem popped into his mind: BeastBoy sleeping + Raven Pain

"Heck of a bedside manner ya got there, Raven," he said, still rubbing a sore spot on his head. " Couldn't you just wake the old fashion way?" he pouted, unable to stay angry at Raven.

"I suppose so," she replied, "But it might have seemed a bit excessive to drop you in the ocean."

BeastBoy smirked. "Ha ha, very funny," he scooted his legs over the side of the bed. "Leave the jokes to…HEY, Wait a sec." He hopped out of bed. "How come you always tell me not to set foot in your room, and here you are, coming in mine? And while I was sleepin'."

Funny how the most of the time his brain would work properly was when she really didn't want to hear it.

"What if I'd been sleeping naked or somethin'?" he crossed his arms.

Raven gave him a doubtful look, concealing a blush all the same. "I would've assuredly gouged my eyes out, and dropped dead before the visual could sink into my mind," she said dryly, looking away. She started to walk back towards the door to his room. "I'll be waiting outside. Hurry up and get ready," she paused, halfway into the hall, "We have a wager to carry out, remember?" That being said, Raven stepped out into the hall, the door closing behind her.

BeastBoy stood there, scratching his nose, taking a minute to fully remember the bet. "Oh yeah," he exclaimed, "I almost forgot."

He began to reminisce about a bizarre dream he'd had, which had somehow blocked the bet from his mind. "I had the strangest dream," he spoke, loud enough so Raven could hear, "I dreamt I ate the world's biggest marshmallow s'more."

Shaking the puzzled expression from his face, he turned back to his bed, beginning to messily straighten out the sheets. "Let me just make my bed and…" he stopped, noticing something was missing, "Hey, where's my pillow?"

BeastBoy burped suddenly, expelling a feather from his mouth. He watched it sway back and forth in the air, slowly making it's way to the ground.

"What did you say?" Raven asked, missing that last statement.

"Nothing," BeastBoy answered, scurrying to get changed.

The day was now officially underway. Both Raven and BeastBoy were determined to make good on their word, and remain in one another's presence all day, for better or worse. Mostly worse.

10:26 A.M.

Raven usually liked to start the morning with a bit of recreational reading, both to spur her intellect and to help fully awaken her. Raven sat on the couch in the main room, carefully reading one of her thicker books, filled with musings of poetry. Her eyes scanned the pages carefully from left to right, taking in every word, though occasionally halted by the actions of her mandatory associate.

BeastBoy sat several feet away from her, closer to the center of the couch, for optimum view of the TV. Not as big a fan of literature, he had decided to fill the void, basking in television's radiance. His feet up on the table, one arm leaning on the back of the couch, and the other pointing straight ahead with the remote in his grasp, he flipped from channel to channel. It came as no surprise there wasn't anything to watch to help speed the passage of time between Raven's reading.

He flipped through the channels, quickening the pace after every program deemed boring. He changed to another channel for every three seconds, enough time for him to hear a brief excerpt from whatever was on, just before clicking over.

**-CLICK-**

"It slices. It dices. And can be yours for no cost to you with just the signature of a simple liability form…"

**-CLICK-**

"Recent study shows that chocolate may actually prove a viable cure for…"

**-CLICK-**

"Go ahead. Make my…"

**-CLICK-**

"On the next, all new episode, of…"

Despite her patient attempts to block the constantly changing noise, Raven was having little success, finding it harder to concentrate on her book. She could probably block out the TV altogether if it didn't keep changing, giving her something new to ignore each time.

"Would it be too much to ask for you to pick something and stick with it?" she asked, barely taking her eyes off her book, the smallest bit of annoyance in her voice.

"I would, but the TV just won't gimme anything to watch," he shrugged.

"The TV doesn't 'make' shows for you to watch, it merely shows what is there," Raven said, her patience reaching a low.

"Well, how come it won't 'show' me something good?" he retorted, trying to use her own logic against her.

Raven was growing more and more irritated, this time not only for his lack of consideration for her reading, but for his sheer decrease in brain power. She would expect something like this from anyone else early in the morning, due to the possibility that they weren't fully awake and not in their right state of mind. But, BeastBoy was an exception. He was like this most of the time, morning or otherwise.

Raven's right hand tightened her grip of the book. A part of her wanted to use her powers to break the TV. Another part wanted to put BeastBoy THROUGH the TV. But, she knew that was not the answer. Raven considered using her powers to resolve such matters, a careless waste of energy and a reckless display of control. And the more recklessly she used her powers, especially to attain such petty things as disciplining BeastBoy, the more she would have to meditate later on, and a lengthy meditation session was something she could not afford with BeastBoy close by.

She tried to ease her mind, reminding herself that this would all be worthwhile. She imagined the visual she had created so vividly when Cyborg presented the sound filtering earpieces to her yesterday. She pictured BeastBoy, trying to get her attention, to tell a joke, and all that was audible to her was sweet nothingness.

She took a deep cleansing breath, allowing all her anger to gather and pass through her mouth, as she breathed outward. Feeling less tense, she loosened the grip on her book, letting the moment of frustration slide.

"_It'll all be worth it,"_ she chanted in her mind, _"Before you know it, his voice will be but a distant memory."_

12:19 P.M.

It was now lunchtime. And seeing as how Robin was in no condition, and having no desire, to eat, Starfire attending to him, and Cyborg still undertaking the long haul to repair the tower, it left the two of them alone at the kitchen table.

Raven poured a fresh cup of herbal tea, declining BeastBoy's constant offerings of vegetarian cuisine.

"C'mon, Raven," he pleaded, "Just a taste?" BeastBoy asked, wishfully, spreading a thick layer of tofu across a piece of bread.

Raven looked down at the globbed white substance, glancing quickly at BeastBoy, before turning her back to him and his lunch of the day. At the moment, probably the most courteous method she could find to say 'no thanks'.

"It's full of soy beanie goodness," he tried in a vein effort to tempt her.

She kept her back to him, not even giving him or his tofu a second glance, taking another sip of tea.

"Eh," he shrugged, "Your loss." With a smile, he slapped another piece of bread atop the tofu, making a sandwich.

Opening his mouth wide, he bit down into the sandwich. But, because of the large portions between the bread, a large glob of tofu squirted out the back, landing with a splat on the top of Raven's head.

BeastBoy froze in place, his mouth still engulfed in the sandwich, his eyes wide with fear, and his healthy green skin becoming rather pale.

"Uh-uh…eh…I," he clamored, putting his lunch down, swallowing hard. "D-don't worry, Raven. Here, let me…um…get that for ya." BeastBoy grabbed a handful of napkins, rushing over to Raven's side.

BeastBoy wiped Raven's head, trying desperately, and furiously, to get the tofu out. But all he served to do was rub the tofu deeper into her hair. BeastBoy was on the verge of sweating, afraid any second his hand would burst into flames.

Throughout the incident, Raven had just sat there motionless, tea in hand. She felt a slight tingle, partially from BeastBoy's frivolous attempt to clean the spill, and partially from the cold tofu that was now dripping down the back of her head, and past her neck. Her eyes were closed, straining more than ever before not to lash out, an occasional twitch from her eye.

"_It'll all be worth it. It'll all…be…worth it,"_ she repeated, slowly in her mind.

4:41 P.M.

After continuous scrubbing, and cleaning, Raven had finally managed to relieve herself of the unclean feeling regarding lunch that had made her skin crawl. Dawning a fresh change of clothes, she proceeded to the rooftop, followed closely by BeastBoy. The next thing common to her daily routine was meditation. And right now, she needed it in the worst way.

The sun hung low in the sky over the city from atop the roof, an occasional breeze catching Raven's cloak, as she levitated a few feet from the ground in lotus position. Her arms drooping to her sides, and her eyes closed, she focused her mind, attempting to expel the many lingering notions of frustration and uneasiness that had tested her will for the day.

"Azarath Metrion Zinthos," she chanted, quietly. "Azarath Metrion Zinthos."

She could feel the burden being lifted from her mind, as her troubled emotions began to settle. She breathed at a much slower pace, allowing the calmness of the moment to overtake her.

"Azarath Metrion Zin…"

BLAM! BEEP! BEEP!

The sudden noises caught Raven off guard, throwing off her center, losing her train of thought, dropping to the ground swiftly on her rear. Giving a slight grunt, rubbing her backside, she turned slowly, glaring intensely at the source.

BeastBoy sat near the edge of the roof, playing a handheld video game, twisting and turning with the actions of his game. His face seemed to brighten and fall continuously, each sound effect changing his expression. The frequent beeps, explosions, and action music from the device had BeastBoy so preoccupied, he didn't even seem to notice Raven's abrupt end to her meditation.

"Yeah! Come on, come on," he cheered, drawing closer to the screen, a determined look on his face, "Just… a little…"

Raven's glare still went unnoticed, a steady black glow rising from behind her. Her facial expression had gone from routine annoyance, to a stare that almost signified the approaching end to someone's life. Her eye twitched again, barely restraining her amplified desire to take disciplinary action.

"No! No! Get back to… stay away fro… AAAGGGGHHHHH!" he groaned, falling over to the sound of dismal beeping, signifying his loss of the game. "Why? Why do you mock me?" he asked, holding his game to the sky glumly, as if expecting an answer.

Raven was silently huffing and puffing, still on the verge of an emotional meltdown. Still ignored by the one person who was practically begging for an early grave, and he wasn't even aware. Her eyes narrowed, the most hateful look on her face, trying to stare a hole through the sulking green boy.

She continued to stare, feeling something inside her snap. From behind BeastBoy, across the ocean, a large suspension bridge leading to the city began to wobble. The ends of the bridge were yanked off the ground and lifted into the air, bending towards the direction of one another. The many girders and support beams bent in every angle, being tugged and pulled by an invisible force. Within a matter of moments, the bridge was tied into the shape of a pretzel.

Raven caught herself, and though not proud of her actions, felt a bit of relief, bringing her fit under control. It might not have been BeastBoy, but at the moment it seemed gratifying to break something. She looked past BeastBoy, eying her power's handiwork. She panted from the slight exhaustion brought on by the release of such large amounts of energy.

"Whoa. You okay, Raven?" BeastBoy asked, finally acknowledging her presence without the distraction of his game. "Meditation musta' been pretty intense today, huh?"

Raven quickly regained her composure, restoring her face to neutral, releasing her last slip of power, causing the remains of the bridge to fall into the ocean. This too, of course, went unnoticed by the oblivious boy in front of her. "You have no idea," she answered.

Raven lifted into the air once more, trying to resume her meditation on account of her recent emotional surge. She spoke no chant this time, except for the one in her head.

"_It'll all be worth it,"_ she chanted desperately in thought, _"It'll ALL BE WORTH IT."_

7:53 P.M.

Raven trudged down the hall, her head hanging low. Raven had her share of rotten days, but today had been one for the record. She headed towards her room, not usually one to turn in so early, but was willing to make an exception. The arrangement of the bet stated that the day officially ended their time together when they turned in for the night. Despite Raven's lack for desire of sleep, simply laying in bed in total silence would suffice. Between the disturbed reading, the mess at lunch, and her botched meditation, it would probably be the only real peace she'd gotten all day.

BeastBoy walked alongside, whistling happily, escorting her to her room. It seemed he still had hardly a clue just how miserable the day had been for Raven.

"Dude, I thought this woulda' been a lot tougher when Cyborg made this challenge," he beamed, as they neared Raven's door.

"_It'll all be worth it. It'll all be worth it,"_ Raven mentally reminded herself, remaining silent.

"I mean, who'd a thought this'd be so easy?" he continued, moving ahead of Raven to get the door for her.

"_It'll… all be… worth… it,"_ she struggled to retain her thought.

"The next twenty-nine days are just gonna fly by," he added, as the door opened for Raven.

Raven was halfway through the doorway when she stopped suddenly, hearing BeastBoy's last statement, taking the time to fully consider the possibilities. Twenty-nine more days? Of this?

"_It'll be… it'll be…"_ she tried to convince herself, finding it harder to reassure herself.

"Right, Raven?" he grinned, eagerly awaiting her response.

"It'll… it'll…" 

"Uh, Raven?" BeastBoy asked, his smile fading, a bit concerned by her lack of movement or response.

Raven spun around, coming face to face with BeastBoy, startling him. She couldn't take it anymore. She couldn't even convince herself.

"I realize that rational observation is something you don't perceive entirely well, nor do you understand," she said, struggling to maintain a tone just below angry, "But, today, has been the most irritating and miserable experience of my life. And coming from me, THAT'S SAYING SOMETHING!"

BeastBoy was slowly backing away, with Raven staying right in front of him, not breaking eyesight with him.

"You are… THE MOST … obnoxious, annoying, loud mouthed, childish, infantile, immature, and INFURIATING person, I've ever known!" she bellowed, making the best effort to keep her voice down, seething with anger.

BeastBoy's back was against the wall, Raven still face to face with him. It was taking everything Raven had to vent, even as calmly as this, without her powers slipping.

"Everyone else in this tower has gotten to me at one point or another. You, however, continue to try my patience, time and time again," Raven said, still outraged, but slowly quieting her tone. "You can't act like a child forever. So why don't you just act your age, for your own sake, if no one else's!"

Feeling her point to have been made, she turned, entering her room, before her powers did something she'd regret. She slammed the door behind her, leaving BeastBoy still against the wall, in a combination of fear, shock, and who knows how many other troubled feelings.

Raven leaned against the door, breathing a heavy sigh. Walking towards her bed, she paused a moment, looking back at the door, and what had just taken place. Not the most graceful way to bring BeastBoy to the realization of her misery today, but what was done, was done. No doubt this would leave damage control to be done in the morning, but right now, sleep sounded promising to her.

Raven climbed into bed, uneasily drifting off into sleep. A small wave of guilt manifested in the back of her mind, but she quickly dismissed the feeling. BeastBoy wouldn't take this too hard. This was not the first time Raven had popped off at him for his childish behavior, and he'd always bounced back. And, this time would be no different.

At least, that's what she thought…

**Next Chapter:** The first day of the bet has come and gone, and has left less than desirable results on both BeastBoy and Raven. But, what effect will Raven's tantrum yield? Will this prove to be an omen to set the tone for the rest of the month? Will the bet even hold up for that long?


	5. No More Funny Business

**Quality Time**

**Chapter 5: No More Funny Business**

The night was long, but even longer for Raven. Despite her turning in early, she couldn't help but feel uneasy, tossing and turning through most of the night. Her pre bedtime berating of BeastBoy had served to let off some steam from the day. Unfortunately, that was all it served to accomplish. The same feeling Raven had gotten from being agitated by BeastBoy was now coming back, even stronger, except BeastBoy wasn't the cause. The irritated feeling that had seemed to weigh down her mind from BeastBoy's shenanigans was now intensified, only now it felt as though it was doubt, a heavy restlessness weighing on her chest, feeling as though an elephant was sitting on her. But, she couldn't figure out what had brought on this unexpected surge of, what felt like guilt.

Morning slowly dawned on the tower. Raven sat up sluggishly, unable to have gotten very much sleep. She squinted, looking out the window, observing the brightness of the new day spreading over the sky.

"Ugh!" Raven groaned, shielding her eyes, falling back into bed, covering her head with her blanket to shield the light. "My kingdom for a cloudy day."

Obviously, Raven was in no desire of anything bright or cheery, especially considering the rough night she'd had. Poking a hand out from underneath the protection of her blanket, she closed the curtains with the aid of her powers, restoring some degree of darkness to the room. The light no longer an issue to trouble her eyes, she reluctantly pulled herself out of bed.

After cleaning up, and a fresh change of clothes, she sat on the edge of her bed. Letting out a weak yawn, she looked over at the clock, which read: 7:19 A.M.

"What is wrong with me today?" she asked herself, rubbing her eyes, trying to dispel the drowsiness. "I'm never this tired, and I usually get up around this hour. I even went to bed earlier than usual."

Raven thought back to the night before, trying to isolate the cause of her troubled awakening, remembering her confrontation with BeastBoy.

"Now I remember," she said, still half asleep, "Well… it was inevitable I suppose."

Raven walked over to a full-length mirror, picking up a nearby hairbrush, gently brushing her hair.

"Not the most delicate way to have handled the problem, I admit," she spoke, watching her reflection, "But, he has to learn." Raven's brush strokes became firmer, becoming more awake, a determined look on her face.

She closed her eyes, remembering with more clarity some of her harsh remarks. Opening her eyes once more, she saw how hard and cold her expression had turned in the mirror. Seeing this, her change in demeanor, her face softened, almost saddened by her own reflection, wondering if that was how she looked when she nearly lost her temper with BeastBoy.

Raven sighed. "So, how come I feel like a piece of gum stuck to the bottom of somebody's shoe?" she said, in a depressed manner, hanging her head.

"No," she said firmly, snapping out of her saddened state. "Some of those things needed to be said," she reassured herself, putting down the hairbrush. "He can't act like a child forever."

Raven folded her arms, taking one last hesitant look in the mirror.

Just then, there came a sudden knock at the door.

"Who is it?" she asked, turning halfway to face the door.

"It's me," came a familiar voice.

Raven recognized the voice instantly, none other than the source of her problems, BeastBoy himself.

Raven groaned, walking to the door. She was a bit surprised that he was up this early, not to mention that he sounded awake without any trace of drowsiness in his tone, but what really surprised her was that he'd come to see her so soon after the… unpleasantness last night. Usually, whenever BeastBoy had managed to irk Raven, he'd make it a point to avoid her for a short while, letting her cool down, until he'd worked up the nerve to apologize. Maybe something she'd said had gotten through to him.

Raven stood in front of the door, wondering what she'd find behind it. How would he react this time? On his hands and knees, begging for forgiveness? Present a tray of breakfast, loaded with his tofu cooking in an attempt to make amends? Or just the usual 'Forgive me, I'm an idiot' apology, pouring on the charm? Raven merely shook her head, uncaring of what the outcome might be.

She opened the door a crack, a fraction of her face visible.

What she found was not exactly what she'd expected. It was BeastBoy, obviously, but he seemed different. He stood there, merely staring at the crack in the door, not even hesitant to look at her in the least, as if nothing had happened. His expression was just shy of a total blank. No goofy grin, no sympathetic look of apology in his eyes, not at all the way she usually perceived him.

"I just came to get you for breakfast," BeastBoy said, plainly.

Raven just stood there, raising an eyebrow, perplexed for some reason. He was straightforward, direct. Usually, he'd make nervous attempts at small talk before getting to the reason for a visit. Then again, maybe he was attempting not to repeat his mistake from yesterday.

"Just a moment," she replied, in her casual monotone, closing the door.

Raven walked back over to her bed, retrieving her cloak from the bedside. She lifted it over her shoulders, making certain it was straight. About to clasp the cloak, just below her neck, she looked over at the mirror again. She remembered looking at her cold reflection, and how uncomfortable the gaze from her eyes seemed to sting. Casting her eyes to the ground, she took a deep breath. Maybe it was time to lighten the burden a bit.

Granted most of the situation had been BeastBoy's fault, but was it really something to be that mad about? He did accompany her through all of her daily activities, and he did so without so much as one word of complaint or announcement of boredom. He did his best to be respectful of her, at least, the best BeastBoy was capable of.

Rethinking the recent events from a new perspective, she took a deep cleansing breath, making one last adjustment to her cloak.

"BeastBoy," she began, retaining her dry tone, casually making her way back to the door, "About yesterday. I've given a lot of thought on the matter, and perhaps…"

Raven opened the door, about to explain herself.

She stopped in mid sentence, finding no one there to listen. BeastBoy was gone. She leaned out of the doorway, looking both ways for any sign of him. She looked to her right, just in time to see BeastBoy round the corner, making his way towards the main room. BeastBoy had come to get her for breakfast and hadn't even hung around to wait for her? Highly irregular behavior, even for him.

"_Either he's really hungry," _she thought, stepping out into the hall, _"Or, more likely, he's a little unsure of how to deal with me after last night."_

"Maybe it would be best to wait until after breakfast," she closed her door, "He… doesn't seem like himself right now."

Raven began walking after him, towards the main room, hardly thinking much of it. He didn't seem angry, so why worry? After breakfast, stuffing his face, he'd be back to his old self. Back to his old hyper active, energetic, grinning, and foolish self. Not exactly something Raven was looking forward too, but it would bring a small sense of relief to her after what'd happened.

Cyborg stood in front of the stove, placing a frying pan on the burner in preparation of his turn to cook breakfast. A carton of eggs, a packet of bacon, a loaf of bread, and several other necessities were lined up on the counter. Starfire sat at the table, watching him about to prepare the morning meal.

"Cyborg, where is Robin on this glorious morning?" Starfire asked, becoming fidgety in her seat, finding no sign of their leader.

"Don't worry, Star," he responded with a smile, "He's just takin' a day to rest. Nothin' to worry about."

Starfire gave a puzzled look. "Then… he will… not be joining us for the meal of morning?" Starfire couldn't help but sound partially concerned and disappointed.

"Don't think so. After yesterday, I think it's safe to say he's cancelled all… 'flights' for the morning," he chuckled, remembering Starfire imitating an airplane while feeding him.

Starfire hung her head.

"Aw, cheer up, Star," Cyborg said, catching her disappointment, moving over from the stove and patting her on the head, "He just needs some time to get his strength back. He'll be up and about before ya know it."

Starfire looked up, forcing a faint smile, still slightly depressed at Robin's absence.

"Tell ya what. After breakfast, why don't you go check on him? Ya know, see if he needs anything?" he smiled.

Starfire's face brightened.

"That sound good to you?" he asked with a smile.

"Oh, yes! It most certainly does," she jumped out of her chair with glee. "I can commence the fluffing of the pillows, or the serving of nourishment, or perhaps administer the age old Tameranian treatment of Flangorf."

"Flang-wha?" Cyborg scratched his head.

"Flangorf," she repeated. "It is a sacred healing exercise, specifically for treating ailments of many kinds."

"Healing exercise, huh?" Cyborg queried, "So, how's it work? More alien home remedies, or this like some kinda Tameranian acupuncture?" The thought of Starfire twisting Robin into a pretzel or sticking him with dozens of needles in an attempt to better his condition delighted his mischievous mind.

"Well… not exactly," Starfire blushed, "Actually…"

Starfire gestured Cyborg to come closer. Cyborg leaned over, allowing Starfire to whisper in his ear. As she whispered, the blush on her face deepened, as well as sprouted a blush on Cyborg's face as well.

"THAT treats illness!" Cyborg exclaimed.

Starfire nodded. "Yes. Apparently, it has far more… practical application on this planet."

There was a short awkward silence between the two.

"Man, I wish I got sick on your planet," he grinned, a bit embarrassed.

"It is a strenuous method of sweating the sickness out of one's self," she explained. "This is a rather… odd cure, yes?" she asked, shyly.

Cyborg waved his hands. "No! No, no, no. It actually makes sense once ya think about it," He blushed, a thought entering Cyborg's head. "In fact, why don't you go tend to him right now. I'll set aside a plate for ya, and you can just eat whenever you're ready."

"Splendid!" Starfire gasped, "I shall bring aid and comfort to friend Robin at once." Starfire leapt over the table, hugging Cyborg for his insight and guidance, before heading for the door.

"Oh! And, Star?" he called after her.

Starfire stopped as the door opened in front of her, turning to face him.

"He still needs his rest, so if he's still asleep when ya get there? Just wait at the foot of his bed for him to get up."

Starfire smiled, giving a nod before flying through the corridor at top speed.

Cyborg grinned. "Wonder what'll startle him more. Star staring at him while he's asleep, or her miracle cure?"

Just as Starfire departed, BeastBoy entered the main room, toward the kitchen, Raven a few steps behind him.

"Well, speaking of interesting ways to start the morning," he smiled, acknowledging their presence before turning back to the stove.

Raven paid him little mind, preparing a cup of herbal tea and taking a single piece of toast from one of the plates of arranged food. Content with her choice of breakfast, she made her way to the couch, taking a seat. She placed her cup of tea on the table momentarily, as she picked up her book from the table, opening it and placing it in her lap. Taking a quick nibble of toast, she picked up her tea once more, reading as she ate.

Out of the corner of her eye, she noticed BeastBoy had made himself a place at the table, moving towards Cyborg, who was busily resuming his cooking. This was just one of the reasons she often chose to sit away from the kitchen area. Almost every morning had started this way. Raven could almost set a watch to it. The argument over who would cook breakfast.

She could picture it clearly in her mind, as if it were happening right now. Cyborg would start cooking large amounts of ham, bacon, and numerous other non-vegetarian breakfast foods. This, in turn, would instigate BeastBoy into the squabble of being left with no meat free substitute. Insults would be exchanged, food would be hurled at one another, and numerous other immature mannerisms would surface until someone broke them apart. And seeing as how neither Robin nor Starfire was present, that left only her. And she had no intention of playing the peacekeeper. Not today.

"So, what'll it be, green wonder?" he asked slyly, throwing the frying pan lightly into the air and then catching it. "Bacon? Ham? Sausage? Or just all of the above? You are, after all, a growing boy. Though, you'd hardly guess it by looking at ya," he chuckled, wasting no time in extending the invitation to challenge him for breakfast. No doubt, Cyborg enjoyed this activity. Why, Raven might never know.

BeastBoy walked right up to Cyborg, looking up at the metal man, who towered over him.

"Here we go," Raven said quietly to herself, rolling her eyes.

Cyborg grinned ear to ear, dangling a packet of opened bacon strips over the frying pan.

"No thanks," BeastBoy said passively, moving past him over to the cabinets. "Just cereal for me." BeastBoy opened the cabinets, pulling a box of sugar-frosted cereal from one, and a bowl from the other.

"It don't matter. Cause I'M cookin' breakfast, and you can just forget abou…" Cyborg stopped, his eyes opening fully as the realization struck him, "Say what?"

Not one mention of tofu in a single sentence. No carnivore remark. Not even one reference to his relation to the animals on the food chain.

BeastBoy plopped down at the table, pouring the cereal in the bowl. "I said, just cereal."

Cyborg shook his head, thinking maybe he was hallucinating. "Uh, BeastBoy?" he asked.

"Hmm?" He looked up from his cereal, about to pour the soymilk.

Cyborg glanced at the array of breakfast meats that seemed to litter the counter top, glancing back at his green friend. "No comment about this?" he gestured towards the food, "About me?"

BeastBoy poured the milk over his cereal, dipping his spoon onto the top of the sugary bits, wetting the cereal. "Nah, I'm good," he smiled, though somehow not as genuine as the smiles Cyborg was familiar with.

Cyborg's face fell, astonished and surprised. "BeastBoy, you've got to," he pleaded, "How am I suppose to know how good this is gonna taste if you don't tell me how rotten I am?"

"Dude, you've eaten meat before, and it's gonna taste the same as it always has, whether I say something or not," BeastBoy said, before taking a spoonful of cereal. He carefully chewed and swallowed his food. "Now, why don't ya just eat before it spoils? Okay?"

This was peculiar. BeastBoy had not only ignored Cyborg's choice of breakfast, and avoided breaking into an argument over it, but he was actually encouraging him to hurry up and eat it. Even more bizarre, he ate in sensible bites. He didn't talk with his mouth full, not even a slurp when drinking the remains of milk after finishing his cereal.

Cyborg cast his view past BeastBoy, over to Raven, who was staring just as he was. No doubt, she was just as surprised.

Cyborg darted over, beside Raven. "Okay, Rae, how'd ya do it?" he whispered. "Magic spell? Look alike? Stole his soul? That's it, isn't it! Ya stole his soul!" he said, jumping to conclusions. "How could you eve-mmmph!"

Black energy sealed his mouth shut.

"Cyborg, you're starting to sound like BeastBoy. Calm down, and I'll release you," she advised. "Are you calm?"

Cyborg nodded timidly.

Instantly, the aura surrounding his mouth vanished, Cyborg rubbing his lips.

"I haven't 'done' anything to him, nor would I make an attempt merely for the sake of winning this ridiculous bet of yours. I do not need my powers to handle such a matter," she explained, crossing her arms, looking away. "He's probably just trying to freak you out."

"And why did stealing his soul jump to the top of your list?" she asked, looking back at him, eyebrow raised.

Cyborg shrugged, laughing nervously. "Uh… no reason."

Cyborg looked back, seeing BeastBoy at the stove, taking hold of one of his frying pans, loaded with bacon. Maybe he spoke too soon.

"AHA!" Cyborg shouted, running back over, pointing the finger, "I knew you couldn't…re…sist?"

Upon closer observation, BeastBoy was merely moving the pan onto another burner, his bacon untouched.

"Dude, relax. It was startin' to burn, so I just took it off the burner," he explained, setting the pan down on one of the other inactive burners.

Cyborg was speechless. "Um… Thanks?"

BeastBoy turned off the burner. "No problem," he said, walking past him.

This only served to further befuddle both Cyborg and Raven. But before they could question the matter further, a thunderous yell echoed through the tower.

"What was that?" BeastBoy asked, alert.

"Trouble?" Raven added, getting to her feet.

"Only if Robin was planning on sleepin' in," Cyborg grinned.

"Come again?" Raven asked, curiously.

"Nothing. Uh, you two have fun," he shouted, running for the door. "This I gotta see," he said to himself with a devilish smile.

The door closed behind Cyborg, leaving BeastBoy and Raven alone in the room.

Raven reluctantly sat back down on the couch, unsure of what was happening, but certain that whatever she just heard, Cyborg had a hand in it. Finishing her tea, she picked up her book and resumed her reading.

BeastBoy placed his dishes, as well as Cyborg's dirty dishes and pans, in the sink, and began scrubbing them. Satisfied with his minor cleanup job in the kitchen, he loaded the dishes into the dishwasher, stylishly knocking the lid to the washer closed with the heel of his foot as he turned to exit the kitchen.

This, of course, did not go unnoticed by Raven, who had occasionally peeked out from behind her book, continuing to be surprised, watching as he made his way over to the couch where she was sitting.

The two of them were alone. No interruptions in sight. Either he was going to finally find the courage to talk to her, or he was going to watch TV and once again take away from her reading time. As hard as it was to believe, she welcomed the prospect of either possibility. Talking would allow her get a few things off her chest, and if he watched TV, it'd be a sign that he'd gotten over the whole thing, which would be just as good.

Raven focused on her book, not taking her eyes off the pages, waiting for him to be seated on the couch. _"So, what's it gonna' be?"_ she thought, _"Talk himself into a corner, or the return of BeastBoy the Annoying?"_

She felt his weight settle as he sat down on the opposite end of the couch. She waited impatiently for either the TV to click on, or BeastBoy to utter the first syllable.

Silence.

After a minute, not word or sound audible to Raven, she reluctantly shifted her pupils to the side, trying to remain inconspicuous. Was he trying think of what to say? Maybe he couldn't find the remote. But, nothing could've prepared her for what she saw.

BeastBoy sat on the couch, his legs crossed over one another, READING. Granted, it was only a short stack of comic books, but reading nonetheless.

Raven turned her head slightly, analyzing what she saw, allowing the sight to fully sink in. She watched as his pupils shifted from side to side, remaining focused on the book. No doubt about it. He wasn't faking it. He was actually reading.

BeastBoy turned a page, causing Raven to quickly turn back to her book before he might catch her looking, coming up with his own conclusions.

"_He's reading. He's actually reading?"_ she thought. _"He must really not be able to think of what to say."_ Raven occasionally glanced back at the green boy, thinking any minute it'd be too good to last. _"He'll tire out eventually."_

But he wouldn't, and he didn't. The two sat there in total peace for an hour and a half, neither speaking so much as a word. Raven had been tempted to try to draw him out into conversation once or twice to discuss her still heavy conscience, but decided against it, choosing rather to relish the peace and quiet while it lasted.

However, after the first hour, she became a bit uneasy. Raven usually found silence to be golden, but she also had come to expect BeastBoy to be anything but calm and quiet. They were two things that just didn't seem to go together, and it was that thought that kept her mind probing the matter further. Was he keeping quiet out of fear that she'd loose her temper? Was this all just an elaborate hoax, or was it something else?

Raven put her book down, believing to have read enough for one day. In truth though, she hadn't really been able to actually read much due to most of her thoughts residing on BeastBoy's odd behavior.

"Any objection to going up to the roof for a while?" she asked, getting up from the couch. "I think a little meditation would do me a world of good right about now."

"Sure," BeastBoy nodded, gathering up a few of his books, "Lead the way."

He followed her up the staircase, stepping out onto the roof. Raven walked over to the center of the roof, floating into position, beginning her trance.

Raven hung low in the air, breathing deeply, trying to ease her mind. For the first few minutes, everything was okay. She was deep in thought, aligning her emotions, attempting to quiet the turbulence that had been troubling her mind since the day had begun. But then, that uncommon silence set in.

It was quiet. Too quiet for any place within BeastBoy's radius.

"_Couldn't be,"_ she spoke mentally, _"He just spent the last ninety minutes reading quietly, as hard as that is to believe. I cannot be expected to believe that I'm going to open my eyes, and find BeastBoy…"_

Raven cracked open one eye.

Sure enough, BeastBoy was there, leaning against the wall near the edge of the roof. One of his comic books still in hand, he continued to read without a sound. She looked carefully at his face, trying to determine any kind of clue to his behavior.

Careful study of his expression didn't reveal much. He was focused on reading, his face an empty slate. No smile, but no hateful look of anger in his eyes. He wasn't nervously looking between the book and her, crossing fear off the list. She couldn't tell what he was feeling right now. He wasn't happy, sad, angry, or afraid. He just was. It was the closest she'd ever seen what she looked like without looking into a mirror.

BeastBoy looked up from his reading, just as Raven closed her eye, only a second away from catching her. He shrugged, swearing it felt as though he was being watched.

"_Something is definitely wrong here."_

Raven's meditation ceased, unable to retain her focus any longer, but still levitating in the air in silent thought with her eyes closed. This matter had now completely taken precedence over Raven's mind. What was going on with him? Normally, if something were wrong, she would've been able to tell right away. Plus, BeastBoy wasn't usually the kind to keep anything bottled up. Raven spent the remainder of meditation time deep in thought, trying to establish what had gotten into him.

She couldn't understand why this bothered her so much either. Normally, Raven would've prayed for days like this, calm, peaceful, incident free. Now, it was the opposite. Now, all she wanted to do was figure out why BeastBoy… well… wasn't BeastBoy.

"_First, not sticking around after coming to get me this morning. Then, not breaking into an argument over breakfast. Cleaning up after Cyborg, reading quietly, and now, not interrupting meditation?" _she pondered. _"No lame jokes, no tofu encouragement, not even so much as a smile. He barely even speaks unless he's spoken to."_

"_There has got to be some kind of explanation for this. Alignment of the planets?"_ she thought. _"No, that's strictly limited to doomsday revelations and mythology."_

"_A full moon?"_ Raven glanced up at the sun in the sky. _"Would seem more logical to believe if it wasn't in the early hours of the **MORNING.**"_

"_Puberty?"_ She blushed as an image of BeastBoy, a few inches taller and with more muscle definition snuck into her mind, winking at her. Raven shook her head, _"Okay, let's pretend that didn't just happen and try to stay in terms of logical reasoning. Plus… where the heck did that come from?"_

"It's almost like…" 

"Raven?" BeastBoy called, snapping her out of her thoughts.

Raven opened her eyes, turning to find BeastBoy standing beside her.

"It's time for lunch," he said.

"_Noon already? Was I really thinking about the whole thing for that long?"_ she thought.

Raven lowered her feet to the ground, coming out of lotus position. "Sorry," she lifted her hood over her head, looking across the ocean, verifying the time by the sun's position in the sky. "I guess I must've…"

Raven turned to find BeastBoy already at the door, and making his way down the stairs, leaving her alone on the roof.

Raven's otherwise blank expression saddened slightly. She still couldn't understand it. This should be a dream come true. BeastBoy not being annoying, not an obnoxious bone in his body. And yet, every other encounter with him resulted with her either feeling ignored or neglected.

Raven proceeded into the kitchen, closely following BeastBoy. Surprisingly, there was no sign of Cyborg or the others. She stood at the entranceway, watching his every move. Just like yesterday, he made himself a tofu sandwich, only this time, more neatly and not just slopping things together. BeastBoy sat at the table, cutting the sandwich into halves, eating in small sensible bites. He didn't spill so much as a crumb.

"This is getting monotonous," she spoke quietly. "I expected 'some' sort of change in his demeanor after last night, but…" Raven stopped, catching her statement.

Last night. The answer had been right in front of her the whole time. She had been so caught up in trying to figure out BeastBoy's behavior, she'd completely overlooked the previous night's events.

_**-"You can't act like a child forever. So, why don't you just act your age, for your own sake, if no one else's!"-**_

Her last words to him came flooding back. Everything seemed to come together. His newfound manners, his change in attitude, all the characteristics of a typical, average, and mature individual. In other words, boring.

BeastBoy wasn't lashing out at her. He wasn't angry or afraid of her. He'd been doing just what she'd told him to do.

The heavy wave of guilt sank lower into the pit of Raven's stomach.

"_No. That can't be,"_ she mentally scolded herself. _"BeastBoy'd never take anything like that seriously. He hasn't before, and he wouldn't start now."_

She watched him eat, finding her thoughts harder to believe with every bite of his sandwich.

The doors swished open. Cyborg made his way inside, a poor attempt at shielding a smile on his face. Slowly bringing up the rear was Robin, limping his way inside on crutches, a large plaster cast on him going from just above his waist, cutting off a little past his thighs. Starfire hovered close behind him, trying to smile in spite of his outward discomfort.

"A thousand apologies, friend Robin," Starfire said sympathetically with a smile. "I wished only to be of help to hasten your recovery. I meant no cause to injure you further."

Robin gave hardly a response, facing her, forcing a faint smile before hunching over, groaning slightly.

Cyborg came to a stop beside Raven, allowing Robin and Starfire to pass by. Raven deduced immediately he had something to do with it. Not a hard estimation to make considering his constant smile.

"I take it you had something to do with this?" she said bluntly, taking her mind off BeastBoy momentarily, watching the two move towards the couch.

"What makes ya say that?" he asked, a fake attempt at innocence.

Raven studied Robin's disposition. "Call it a hunch."

Robin was seated at the center of the couch, assisted by Starfire.

"Just what happened to him anyway? You plant something in his utility belt?" she asked, giving him a suspicious look.

"You'd have to use your imagination," he grinned, "Let's just say, it was the worst kinda pain, but… in the best kinda way."

Raven looked at Cyborg, even more perplexed than before, looking back at Robin. Judging from the cast, it was obvious he'd sustained some sort of injury to his pelvic region. And then Starfire and her alien strength had to be factored in, judging by how apologetic she was acting. So…

Raven blushed lightly, turning a cold stare to Cyborg. "You really need to find more constructive ways of occupying your time."

BeastBoy walked past the both of them, having finished his lunch, taking a seat beside Robin on the couch.

"Up for a game?" BeastBoy offered, holding up his gamestation controller.

"I don't know," Robin said hesitantly. "The kind of luck I've had as of late, I'd probably wind up being strangled with the controller." Robin's point was valid, considering the three major injuries he'd incurred already.

"Suit yourself," BeastBoy said, getting up. "I'll just leave you two alone then."

Robin winced, looking over his shoulder at Starfire, who was smiling, holding a snack bowl of food in one hand and a fluffed pillow in the other, looking as if she were ready to further her pursuit of Robin's wellness.

"On second thought…" he tugged at his collar, swallowing hard. Grabbing BeastBoy by the wrist, pulling him back down onto the couch, he picked up a controller. He knew Starfire meant well, but was in no condition to chance it.

The game quickly got underway, the both of them playing in their usual competitive way. Robin scrambled, pushing buttons, and leaning side to side with the movements of his character.

"Too bad for you it's not my hands that are outta commission," Robin taunted with a smile, taking his mind off his troubles.

BeastBoy sat there, perfectly still, looking straight ahead at the screen. He made no verbal reply, and handled his controller in a passive, almost uncaring manner. He pushed buttons, and gave a serious effort, only without his usual over the top, grand standing performance of frantic button mashing.

Raven noticed this, the concern once again resurfacing. _"He hasn't changed,"_ she told herself in her mind, trying to deny what she saw. _"He's still the same. So what if he's not as loud… or as messy… or as annoying. BeastBoy is still BeastBoy."_

She watched him to continue to play, un-phased by the fact that he was losing. Changed or not, his video skills still left something to be desired, and that's when an idea entered her mind.

"_I'll prove it,"_ she thought. _"I'll prove that, deep down, he's still the same, and then, this whole matter will be cleared from my mind. I just need a small test."_

Raven thought hard. She needed something to re-invoke BeastBoy's behavior. Something trivial enough to launch him off the deep end and return him to his normal self. There were two inane responses that truly defined BeastBoy's personality, his ego, and his sense of humor. Tap into one, and the other would surely follow.

Raven knew too well how BeastBoy prided himself on videogames. How he'd play to win, and if he couldn't do that, he'd look for any excuse to deny his defeat. Any excuse at all. He'd accuse a distraction from the window, an itch on his nose that kept him from full concentration, the controller was faulty, anything. And, that's when it dawned on her. The controller.

Raven looked to make sure that everyone else was occupied enough so that anything on her part would go unnoticed. Robin and BeastBoy were obviously fixated on the game, Starfire was fixated on Robin, and Cyborg was now standing behind the couch, watching the screen for the outcome of the game.

With a wave of her hand, the cord that connected BeastBoy's controller to the Gamestation glowed black, which no one seemed to notice. In a swift motion, the cord was gently yanked from the console, rendering BeastBoy's character motionless. The game was over seconds later, leaving Robin to claim victory.

"Looks like that's game," Robin folded his arms, leaning back against the couch, beaming a smile in triumph.

"Any second now," Raven said quietly, awaiting BeastBoy's temper tantrum. She could already hear the cries and wails of unfairness, and how Robin probably rigged the game, and so on.

"Cyborg, wanna play winner?" BeastBoy asked discretely, handing the controller up to Cyborg.

"Say what?" Cyborg responded, caught off guard by BeastBoy's easy acceptance of defeat.

"Say what?" Robin said as well.

"You've gotta be kidding me," Raven said, in a state of near shock. The one time he'd actually be justified in throwing a fit over a technical problem that was genuine and not his fault, and he ignored it completely.

BeastBoy scooted over, letting Cyborg leap over the couch to sit and play. Cyborg apparently hadn't really thought much of it at the prospect of joining the game, shrugging off the whole thing.

"Make way for some 'real' competition," Cyborg bellowed, beginning a new game.

BeastBoy leaned back, watching the two of them play, his arms folded behind his head, a dry stare towards the screen.

"_This is more serious than I thought. But, it still doesn't prove anything,"_ she thought, still unbelieving of the theory of BeastBoy turning anew. _"However, just to prove this once and for all, I better try something more drastic." _

It was clear that his ego would be a lost cause, so it'd be best to move on. This left one other trait to draw out. If there were one thing that'd rekindle BeastBoy's spirit, it'd be laughter. But Raven wasn't much of a laugher. This would require some careful thought and planning. What'd be something to make BeastBoy laugh? And not just a chuckle or giggle, but full-tilt, flat out, rib cracking laughter.

Then again, BeastBoy wasn't the most complex in terms of humor. He'd laugh at just about anything. With the kind of jokes he told all the time, how hard could it be to make him laugh?

Raven rubbed her head, scanning the room for something to provide inspiration. A gag, a joke, a prank, anything at all. She snapped her fingers, getting an idea. Rushing to a nearby storage closet, she flung open the door, scrounging through piles of discarded and forgotten stuff. Raven remembered a few months ago, BeastBoy had busted out a whole treasure trove of novelty gags and prank supplies. Everything from disappearing ink, to joy buzzers. Unfortunately, BeastBoy had made the mistake of demonstrating one of said gags, presenting her with a bouquet of flowers, only to drench her with water that sprayed from the flowers. In a fit of rage, Raven had hurled the gags and other cheap novelty items into the closet, before focusing on retaliation against the amused green changeling.

"They should be in here somewhere," she said, rifling through pile after pile.

Finally, after minutes of searching, she found what she was looking for.

"Here we are," she acknowledged, recognizing the container.

Opening the case, wide assortments of gags were at her choosing.

"Let's see now," she started, pooling her options, "Fake nose and mustache, attached to sunglasses?" pulling a pair of Groucho sunglasses, but quickly tossing them aside. "Too corny."

"Hand buzzer?" Raven held a small joy buzzer in the palm of her hand. Suddenly, a sharp jolt zapped her, causing her hair to stick out on end. "Pass."

Straightening her hair, she moved onto the next available choice. "Hmm. Never seen one of these before," Raven scratched her head, curiously eyeing a small trinket. It was a small object, similar to a tea bag, only slightly larger, and with a pull string on the end of it. On the end of the string, a slip of paper that read: DO NOT PULL.

"How gullible does BeastBoy think people are?" she asked herself, rolling her eyes. But her curiosity was nagging in the back of her mind. What could it be? Was it something he'd intended to slip into her herbal tea? If so, what would it do, disperse some kind of laxative, turn the tea a different color, explode? Who knew with BeastBoy.

"Although… I wonder…" she said, pulling on the string.

**POP!**

A cloud of colored smoke burst from the packet just as Raven triggered it. Coughing lightly, she fanned away the smoke, finding BeastBoy's humor extremely infantile.

"That was pointless," she muttered, fanning away the last remnants of smoke in the air. "It didn't even…"

Raven caught her reflection in a small mirror on the left side of the closet. The packet had done more than she originally thought. It wasn't smoke that'd covered her it was make-up. Her face was now pure white, with large outlines of blue around her eyes, and large circles of pink highlighted on her cheeks. Raven gazed into the mirror, finding her face's appearance similar to that of a circus clown.

Turning an icy stare towards BeastBoy, who had not noticed any of this, she began to wipe the make-up off. "If I were positive he was still in his right mind, I'd kill him now."

Cleaning the last of make-up from her face, she turned her attention back to the case, still in search of something to break BeastBoy into laughter. Raven supposed the clown make-up would've done it, but she wanted to make BeastBoy laugh, not scar herself for life.

Finally, Raven found just what she'd been looking for, removing it from the case. Closing the closet door, and quietly making her way back over to the couch, she hoped it would be adequate.

She came to a stop a few steps away, taking a moment to collect her thoughts, and take a deep breath. "I know I'm gonna regret this later," she said dryly, having second thoughts.

Using her powers, she levitated a whoopee cushion over to the couch, setting it down next to BeastBoy. She walked around the couch, closing her eyes, in a state of disbelief about what she was about to do. She sat down next to BeastBoy, landing squarely on her intended target.

From below Raven, the loudest flatulent noise cut through the air. Cyborg and Robin stopped dead, creaking their heads slowly at the source of the sound. Raven blushed furiously, embarrassed beyond belief. Cyborg and Robin then erupted in a fit of laughter, holding one another they were laughing so hard.

"Raven, wha… what've you been eatin' girl!" Cyborg managed between laughs.

"My… my stomach… is hurting all over again," Robin said on the verge of tears of hilarity, "But I just don't care!" Robin resumed laughing alongside Cyborg.

Raven's head sank, her face still red, but now out of a combination of embarrassment and anger.

"Oh, friend Raven," Starfire began, hovering above her, looking over her shoulder, "You have… broken the air?" Starfire wasn't laughing. She seemed genuinely concerned.

"It's wind, Star," Robin managed to point out, still laughing. "The expression is break wind."

Starfire gasped. "Then, we must repair the wind before it does harm to the planet's atmosphere! I shall fetch the tape of duct," Starfire exclaimed, flying out of the room.

Robin and Cyborg watched her go, looking at Raven, then one another. They burst into one last fit of unsuppressed laughter before getting up to pursue Starfire to explain there was no danger.

Raven scowled at them, watching them leave. "Of all the brainless, idiotic…"

She stopped, remembering why she'd done this in the first place. Raven turned to face BeastBoy, about to half-heartedly accuse him of the whole thing.

BeastBoy sat beside her, unchanged amidst the whole thing. He wasn't laughing, not even so much as a smirk. He just stared at the screen, having picked up one of the controllers after Cyborg and the others had left, playing as uninterested as before.

Raven looked at him as he just eyed the game screen. His face hadn't cracked even once. Everyone else, except for Starfire, had been irate with laughter. But him? His face had been like stone. Raven quickly collected herself. All was not yet lost. Maybe he just needed a little push.

"BeastBoy?" she said, in her usual empty tone.

He turned to face her.

Raven held up the whoopee cushion for his observation. "Look familiar?" she said, trying to pretend to be annoyed. She figured maybe the thought of one of his jokes getting her might get through to him.

"Oh yeah," BeastBoy answered, taking the gag from Raven's hand. "I wondered where this got to." His expression was still unchanged.

He got up from the couch, walking over to the kitchen, Raven following his every move.

"_Probably wants plenty of space to do his victory dance,"_ she said in her mind. _"He's gonna break down into a series of 'I GOTCHA' remarks, and 'I'm the prank master', and then, he'll close with one of his cheesy, outdated dance moves."_

BeastBoy strolled over beside the kitchen area, stopping beside the trash bin. Stepping on the foot pedal below, the lid to the trash opened as he deposited the whoopee cushion in the trash.

"Sorry about that, Raven," he said sincerely, dusting off his hands, making his way back over to the couch. "It'll never happen again."

BeastBoy sat back down, picking up the controller, resuming his game.

Raven stared in total shock. He didn't laugh. He didn't smile. He even threw out one of his own pranks.

The day had come to a close, as Raven walked down the hall towards her room, sneaking occasional glances at BeastBoy as he walked beside her, thinking any minute he'd revert back to normal. She still could not get over the dramatic change. She couldn't believe just how quickly BeastBoy had become the exact opposite of what he used to be.

The two rounded the hall, Raven's room insight.

"Well, Goodnight," he waved, giving a faint smile, turning to head for his own room.

Raven stopped, turning to face him. "You're… not going to see me to my room?" she asked, raising an eyebrow.

"I did. Your room's right there," he pointed out, "See you in the morning." BeastBoy rounded the hall, back the way he came, disappearing from view.

It took a while for the day's events to fully sink into Raven's mind. She could no longer shake the feeling that BeastBoy was not BeastBoy. But again, Raven's subconscious attempted to block out the thought.

It was just one day after all. Tomorrow would be different. By morning, the whole thing would be out of his system, and he'd be back to normal. Then again, look where that wishful line of thinking had gotten her thus far.

Raven's door opened as she stepped partially inside, taking one final look down the corridor, her thoughts on the stranger that'd walked her to her room. She stepped inside, closing the door behind her.

Today had been the one of calmest days she could remember having in a long time. No silliness, no distractions, no nothing. This had been, by far, the quietest day she'd ever had with BeastBoy.

And she hated it.

**Next Chapter:** Raven has discovered just how seriously BeastBoy has taken her remarks from the night before, no longer his cheerful fun loving self. But is this change only temporary? And if it isn't, is the BeastBoy Raven knows gone for good?


	6. Out with the New, In with the Old

**Quality Time**

**Chapter 6: Out with the New, In with the Old**

Raven awoke from a long and much needed slumber. Despite having so much on her mind, and troubled thoughts regarding BeastBoy's new persona, sleep came surprisingly swiftly to her. Most likely due to the fact that her lack of sleep from the previous night before had finally caught up to her.

Raven stepped gingerly onto the floor, dawning her cloak, preparing for the new day. She glanced over at her clock by the bed, taking note of the time. It was only a little past seven, so the others would probably not be up for another hour or two, but only one particular individual concerned her at the moment.

Raven kept reminiscing about yesterday's turn of events, finding it harder and harder to believe what had actually transpired. Of course, she knew all too well it did, in fact, happen, despite an occasional and desperate belief it had all been a bad dream.

"It was just one day," Raven breathed in a sigh, "Just one insignificant day." She straightened her cloak around her shoulders, stepping out into the hall and making her way to BeastBoy's room. Seeing as how he'd come to get her yesterday, she figured she might as well return the gesture.

"He was acting out of sympathy," she continued quietly, "Probably his way of apologizing. He felt low for invoking my temper, and… wanted to make amends by showing he could act his age for one day. He just wanted to prove a point." Raven came to a stop a few feet from BeastBoy's door, her last statement clicking in her mind. It was obvious she'd been kicking theories around in her head, but maybe she was onto something. "Yeah. That's gotta be it."

Raven felt a slight ease of relief wash over her, finding her logic to have possibilities. It made sense, considering the way BeastBoy usually acted. It was probably a one-time deal. He wanted to prove he was capable of such behavior. He'd revert back to normal today, and that would be that. It would serve as a constant reminder that he could grow up if he set his mind to it. And knowing her luck, she'd never hear the end of it.

She could visualize him gloating, saying how he could be every bit as mature as anyone else, all the while in a mocking tone and doing one of his ridiculous uncoordinated dances.

"Well, that's a relief," she breathed, trying not to sound enthusiastic but finding comfort in her thought, as if signaling to her mind the return of the old BeastBoy was imminent.

Of course, she still felt obligated to apologize, never having gotten the chance yesterday, too startled by the change to do so. A simple apology, nothing too mushy, only enough to qualify as sincere. After all, she had blown up at him for a reason. Still, better to get it over with and not run the risk of who knows what else happening.

"Well…" she began, raising her hand, balling up a fist to knock, "Out with the new, in with the old," she finished dryly.

She knocked gently against the door.

"BeastBoy?" she asked, just loud enough to register through the door.

There was no answer.

"BeastBoy," she repeated, slightly louder.

Still no reply.

Raven reached for the door, but drew her hand back in hesitation.

"BeastBoy, if you can hear me, I'm coming in," she calmly announced, not wanting to just barge in. Her hand rested on the keypad beside the door. "You'd better be decent," she warned with a cold stare at the door, not wanting any more awkward surprises in store for her.

The door hissed open, casting light from the hall into the otherwise dim room. Everything appeared to be just the way she remembered it the day before yesterday. There were still mounds of dirty clothes everywhere, the same slanted stacks of magazines and comic books, posters littering the walls, the same mess she'd come to expect from BeastBoy. This put her mind even more at ease, assuring her as evidence that BeastBoy's old self had not taken permanent leave.

She scanned the room, the door closing behind her, taking a moment for her eyes to adjust to the lack of light. She spotted a lump on the lower bunk of BeastBoy's bed, concealed by a thick blanket, a slow rise and fall of the covers to the rhythm of breathing, signifying life beneath it.

"_Still asleep,"_ she thought, _"I knew it was just a one-time deal."_

Sleeping in was yet another key trait of BeastBoy's familiar personality. It was one of the few things he could do on a daily basis that would not exhaust Raven's patience. Even BeastBoy couldn't be annoying in his sleep. Not that Raven could say for sure, having never actually watched or listened to him sleep.

All was quiet as Raven watched the mass under the blanket to continue to rise and fall. No snoring, no talking in his sleep. The whole scene was peaceful.

Raven reluctantly walked by his bedside, leaning over, gently shaking him. "BeastBoy?" she asked in her casual tone, trying to wake him, hoping his grumpiness would be minimal.

The blanket stirred, a low grumbling noise coming from beneath, signaling his awakening.

"I know it's early, and under normal circumstances, I'd be obliged to let you sleep till the day is nearly over, but there's something I need to get off my chest," she said, sitting at the foot of the bed, looking straight ahead at the wall. "You're probably barely conscious enough to comprehend this, but… try to listen anyway."

She took a quick look as the top of the blanket curled upward slightly, seeming to acknowledge her. Satisfied that he was at least making an effort, she turned her stare back to the wall, staying focused.

"I knew when we agreed to this ridiculous wager, there would be… complications," she started, not taking her view off the wall so as not to be distracted.

She could feel the weight of the bed shift ever so slightly.

"Two nights ago, certain 'actions' caused me to temporarily lose restraint of my… emotional boundaries," she paused, giving a quick glance beside her, "Ok, so maybe I just blew up at you."

Raven was attempting her best both to explain the situation from her point of view, and make things clear for BeastBoy. It was hard enough to explain things to him when he was awake, but half asleep was yielding who knew what results.

"I won't lie, BeastBoy. You can really take a toll on somebody's nerves at times," she folded her arms, rolling her pupils off towards the door. "Anyway… things were said. A few choice remarks, which… I don't think are necessary to repeat. All of which were aimed at you."

Again, Raven quickly glanced beside her, looking for any kind of reaction.

"I've never lashed out in such a way before. Not at you, not at anyone. Every so often, I manage a remark or two, but never to that degree of… well… you know." Raven's eyes hung down at the floor, retaining their lifeless gaze. "Granted, I've never been one to sugar coat remarks about you before. Your poor attempts at humor, your taste in food, or even your staggering intellect."

It was clear Raven was being genuine.

"But, those were just the result from your behavior in small doses. An entire day of it was more than I expected I could handle. And…"

The form under the blanket shifted once again, catching Raven's attention, but quickly dismissing it.

"Even though some of my remarks were justified… I now realize that I was wrong to say such things in a way unbecoming of my nature, and…" she continued.

The covers shifted yet again, looking as though he was rolling over, away from her.

Raven could feel a vein in the side of her forehead growing, becoming more and more agitated that he was unable to keep still. "And… in… no way did I mean… to…" Raven muttered slightly, her annoyance clear in her voice, barely holding the irritation at bay.

A low gurgling sound could be heard emanating from beneath the covers. A noise Raven interpreted as snoring.

"_He went back to sleep!"_ her mind screamed. She didn't know whether to be glad, relieved, annoyed, or angry.

That was the final straw. While Raven was hoping to regain the old BeastBoy, this was just too much.

"Ugh! THAT'S IT!" she fumed, getting to her feet, glaring down at the inconsiderate being beneath the covers, "If I'm gonna break character, the LEAST you can do is pretend to…"

Raven tore back the covers, ready to give BeastBoy a piece of her mind, awake or not, even if it meant going back on what she'd originally come to do. And she would've done just that, except for one problem. BeastBoy wasn't there.

Raven stared at what lay before her. Silkie, Starfire's pet larvae, curled up atop a short stack of pillows, drool dribbling down the side of its mouth. It squirmed happily, nestling deeper into the pillows, letting out a yawn with a cheery outlook. Paying Raven no mind, it rolled over, its back to her, drifting off into slumber.

It took a moment for this to fully sink in. Raven had been struggling for the right words to apologize, something not all that common for Raven, normally being on the receiving end of apologies, and it had been all for naught. A small crackle of black energy sparked from her chakra, her eyes twitching in blind anger, her fist raised above her head and about to be lowered down onto the unsuspecting insect with unbridled fury.

Slowly but surely, Raven calmed herself, restraining her raised fist with her other hand, lowering it to her side. She took a deep breath, struggling to push her anger back down from whence it came. She still eyed the napping larvae with contempt. "Consider yourself lucky I value my friendship with your owner," she muttered, making reference to Starfire. Though smiting Silky would bring welcome release to her bottled up frustration, an upset Starfire would only add to her mounting problems, and the last thing she needed was something else to deal with.

Raven turned on her heel, exiting the room, still fuming. Once back outside in the hallway, she took one last deep breath, closing her eyes, doing her best to forget what just happened, and choosing to focus on the more pressing matter. If BeastBoy wasn't in his room, where was he?

Robin sat at the kitchen table, steadily downing a glass of orange juice, still a little worse for wear, but fairing well enough to manage. He'd come to the realization that, in spite of the escapades he'd been through over the last few days, staying in his room was no guarantee of safety. He had managed to convince Starfire that though he appreciated her help and concern, it would be best if he helped himself, for both their sakes, but especially his.

Starfire sat beside him, not as eager to help as before, but still vigilant for the opportunity to assist in any way. Though both of their minds thought heavily of the odd circumstances of last two days, their attention was now beginning to focus on something far more puzzling. Namely, the suspiciously silent behavior of their green friend, who sat opposite of Starfire.

"Uh, BeastBoy?" Robin began, resting his glass on the table, eyeing the changeling curiously.

BeastBoy looked up from his plate of scrambled tofu eggs and toast.

"Shouldn't Raven be with you? For the bet, I mean?" he asked.

"Yes. Why do you not fetch her to join us for breakfast?" Starfire added. "I'm sure she'd most enjoy sampling the morning meal you have prepared," Starfire beamed with a smile.

"It's nothing major," BeastBoy answered, "She looked a little tired last night, so I thought I'd let her sleep in for a while. When she's ready, she'll join us." He turned his attention back to his plate, eating a fork full of tofu eggs.

His expression was the same as yesterday, just short of a blank slate.

"Yeah, but… doesn't she have to join you once the day starts? Those were the terms you and her agreed on," Robin gently pushed the matter further, "What if Cyborg came down and saw you here by yourself? Wouldn't he count that as losing?"

BeastBoy nibbled on a piece of toast, dabbing his chin with a napkin. "Aw, c'mon," BeastBoy said passively with a faint smile, "I'm just letting her sleep a little longer, nothin' bad about that. And besides, Cyborg isn't even up yet."

BeastBoy's continually calm and quiet demeanor continued to perplex both Robin and Starfire, the two of them glancing at one another.

"But, what happens when he does, and Raven's still not with you?" he pried. "I can only imagine how Cyborg will rub your nose in it," Robin chuckled lightly to himself. He was obviously trying to get him to consider how Cyborg would taunt him, chalking up another loss for him. Not that Robin wouldn't mind seeing someone else mocked at their own expense, considering everything he'd been through.

"Let him," BeastBoy said plainly, "It's just a bet." BeastBoy took a sip of his orange juice.

Just a bet? Had those words really come out of BeastBoy's mouth? The same BeastBoy who would've thrown a temper tantrum over being denied a rematch at a video game? The same BeastBoy who'd go double or nothing in a game of stankball with the odds against him and wagering someone else's clean up duty, knowing fully well he was practically begging for a month of extra chores? Now that he thought about it, BeastBoy had been acting a bit out of the ordinary, remembering yesterday with more clarity. Robin was only now beginning to suspect something amiss.

"Robin?" Starfire whispered into his ear, "Is there something the matter with friend BeastBoy? He does not seem like… himself."

"I'm sure it's nothing Star," he smiled, whispering back, "Spending so much time with Raven's probably just got him wound a little tight, that's all."

Though Robin reassured Starfire, he himself wasn't entirely sure.

"Raven has… wound him up?" Starfire asked, eyeing BeastBoy, looking back at Robin, "I was not aware that BeastBoy required winding."

Robin smiled, "No, Star. What I mean is, I'm sure there's a perfectly logical explanation for this."

Robin and Starfire both looked back at BeastBoy, who was now unfolding the newspaper. Despite that he was only reading the comics section, they still found the sight of BeastBoy with a newspaper peculiar.

"And as soon as I figure out what it is, I'll be sure to let you know," Robin remarked, furrowing his brow.

"Our friend has been like this since yesterday," Starfire continued to whisper, "You… do not think it is possible that Raven may have… broke BeastBoy perhaps?"

Robin offered a small smile, but gave no verbal reply. He simply looked back at BeastBoy, who was taking another bite of his eggs while reading the comics, and all without so much as a peep. At the moment, he didn't know what was going on, other than the fact that BeastBoy was behaving rather strangely, and he couldn't confirm or dismiss Starfire's theory.

Robin shrugged off the matter, turning his attention to his breakfast. Unknown to him and the others, they were being listened in on. From behind the kitchen counter, a mass of black energy in the form of a raven sank into the floor.

In the hallway just outside the main room, the energy resurfaced from the floor, materializing into solid matter, as Raven resumed her form, lowering her hood, looking back at the door to the main room. She'd decided to keep a low profile, observing what'd been going on, arriving shortly after Robin had begun questioning BeastBoy about the bet.

She was initially startled to find that BeastBoy was still assuming the quiet and mature facade. She had convinced herself it wouldn't last. She figured a day would've been more than he could bare without his jokes, his videogames, his cheesy humor. Yet, it didn't even seem to phase him in the least. She was almost convinced it had been an entirely different person. He was up early, he hadn't cracked a single joke, no mindless banter about his tofu, and for the second day. What happened to the one-time deal?

Raven walked down the hall, moving away from main room. She spoke not a word, at least, not on the outside. Her mind was a different story, trying to comprehend so many possibilities, and at least a hundred questions bombarding her thoughts. But what stuck with her the most was Starfire's last comment.

**-"You… do not think it is possible that Raven may have… broke BeastBoy perhaps?"-**

Normally, such a thing would've been credited to Starfire's innocent and sometimes naive observations. But this time, maybe it wasn't so farfetched. Maybe Raven had broken BeastBoy. Not physically, of course, but… his spirit.

This had to stop. Right now, right this minute. And there was only one way Raven could think of to set things as they once were.

Cyborg snored lightly, flat on his back atop a metal table, plugged into his systems recharger, still in sleep mode. The many readouts on the screens behind him gave a complete diagnostic of his systems and functions, as well as a count down to his scheduled awakening, which was currently at forty five minutes. Cyborg lay completely motionless, his body still offline.

The sound of a door swishing open and closing could be heard, just before a shadow cast itself over the slumbering metal man.

"Cyborg," Raven said bluntly, standing beside his table, casting a steely gaze down at him. "Cyborg," she repeated louder.

Now was not Raven's most ideal time to be patient.

She moved to the end of the table by Cyborg's feet. Lifting her foot into the air, she slammed it down on the base of the table, flinging the table upwards at a ninety-degree angle, Cyborg now upright, his back still against the table. However, he still remained motionless.

Raven disconnected the cord attached to his chest with a swift yank, causing Cyborg to teeter slightly, back and forth. Using the tiny momentum of Cyborg's shifting weight, she placed a finger on the back of his head, nudging him just enough to cause him to gradually begin leaning farther forward.

With the cord disconnected, power began to filter throughout Cyborg's body, bringing him online. His cybernetic eye blinked on, as well as his human eye slowly opening, just as he began to descend to floor.

"WAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHH!" Cyborg yelled, before smacking face first into the hard metal floor.

"Oh, good. You're awake," Raven said in a dull tone, crossing her arms, watching him rise off the floor.

"Geez, Rae!" Cyborg said, mildly annoyed, rubbing his nose, "Heck of a bedside manner ya got there. Ever hear of an alarm clock?"

"It woke you up, didn't it?" she replied.

Cyborg shook off the slight headache he could feel throbbing in the right side of his head, getting his bearings. "I take it this isn't a social call?" he asked, rubbing his temple. "Hey! Aren't you supposed to be with BB?" he asked, the realization hitting him.

Raven just stared lifelessly at him.

"That might be considered backing out ya know," he teased mildly, "But, hey, if you're gonna' give up, then…"

"WOULD YOU FORGET ABOUT THAT POINTLESS BET OF YOURS FOR ONE SECOND?" she raised her voice, almost seeming like there was fire in her eyes.

Cyborg took two steps back, caught off guard by the firmness, and almost frightening nature of Raven's sudden mood swing. Perhaps it would be best to keep the teasing banter to a minimum.

Raven breathed deeply, quickly calming herself. "I wouldn't have reacquainted you with the floor if it wasn't important," she said. "I need to have a word with you."

Cyborg made his way over to the console, turning off the re-charger, and calibrating the instruments by the bed, making sure Raven hadn't wrecked anything with her wake up call. "Take any word ya want. It's yours."

"It's about BeastBoy. Things are becoming rather… difficult," she looked away.

Cyborg looked at her, cracking a smile. "No problem. I kinda figured something like this might happen," he said, walking over to the other side of the room, opening a nearby foot locker, "I gotcha' covered."

Cyborg pulled an item out of the top of the locker, handing it to Raven.

"Here ya go," he grinned. "This outta solve your problem."

Raven held up the item in question to eye level. "A flea collar?" she said, unamused, "Just what kind of problems did you anticipate me running into?"

Cyborg smiled innocently as Raven tossed the collar over her shoulder.

"Listen, something is wrong with BeastBoy," she said.

"This is supposed to be news to me?" Cyborg chuckled, "Been something wrong with him since I known him. How else do you explain the way he eats?"

Raven glared at him, ceasing his humor of the situation.

"Oh," Cyborg choked out, clearing his throat, "You were serious."

"Yes, I'm serious," she remarked, beginning to lose her patience with Cyborg taking the matter so lightly, "Don't tell me you haven't noticed."

"Noticed what?" he shrugged. "Ya mean yesterday? Nothin' drastic. So he cleaned up a little bit, and didn't jump all over me about breakfast. He still plays video games, his rooms still a pigsty, and he still eats tofu. If that's not BeastBoy, I dunno what is?"

"THAT is not BeastBoy," Raven corrected him.

Cyborg tilted his head, looking at her funny. "Say what?"

Raven sighed.

Cyborg walked over to the flatbed where he'd been sleeping, reclining it so that it was a makeshift table. He patted the surface, gesturing for Raven to have a seat. Raven looked back at the door, hesitating a moment, but seated herself, facing Cyborg as he leaned against the wall.

"Care to elaborate on that last remark?" he asked.

Raven sat on the table, her eyes looking away, her legs hanging lifelessly over the side.

"Come on, Rae," he teased, "You didn't come here just to observe a moment of silence."

Raven looked at him with her usual deadpan stare.

"Look, if there's something you wanna get out in the open, ya have my word it won't go beyond this room. It's just you, me, and the wall," he finished with a comforting smile.

Raven was still silent.

"Why don't ya take it from the top?" he added.

Raven exhaled deeply, finally giving in. Maybe talking about it would do her some good. "The first day went like I would've expected: constant interruptions, noise, making a mess out of everything he touched. He couldn't sit still for so much as a minute. It was the most aggravating and annoying day of my life," she fumed, replaying the experience in her head.

Cyborg grinned. However, it quickly faded as Raven's gaze intensified, seemingly cutting a hole right through him. Cyborg cleared his throat once more, discarding the amused look on his face. "And, the next day?"

Raven paused a brief moment, casting her eyes down at the floor. "Nothing."

Cyborg gave it a few seconds, thinking she'd have more to say, but nothing came. "Nothing… as in… nothing?" he tried to comprehend what Raven was getting at.

"He stopped laughing. He stopped talking. He stopped smiling. He stopped… everything," she said, dismally.

Cyborg took a moment, analyzing the seriousness in her expression. "What happened the night before?" he asked, feeling as though a piece was missing from the puzzle.

Raven looked at him, and then, turned her attention to the wall. "I… exchanged a few words with him before going to bed."

"Words along the lines of…?" he left the statement open for her to fill in.

"Pick an insult. Chances are, I got it off," she slouched, leaning back, her hands flat against the base of the table.

"Oh, so it's guilt," he responded.

"I never said that," she replied in her casual monotone, "Guilt is what you feel when something like that is undeserved or unprovoked."

"Or unnecessary?" he added.

Raven scowled at him, but said nothing. "I stand by what was said," she explained, trying to maintain her unfeeling outer shell, "However, I think I may have stressed things a bit… too far."

"So… let's recap. BeastBoy drove ya nuts the first day of the bet. So much so that ya blew off a whole engine liner worth of steam at him, and now, he's not acting like himself?"

Raven gave a reluctant nod.

"In other words, he's not actin' like he normally does?" he asked.

She nodded again.

"He's quiet? Doesn't make a mess of things? No more lame jokes?" he counted off, interpreting Raven's situation.

Again, Raven simply nodded.

Cyborg shrugged, "So, what's the problem?"

Raven raised an eyebrow, looking at him questionably. "Excuse me, Cyborg. Did you just say, 'what's the problem'?"

"Well, you didn't say it. The wall didn't say it. Must've been me," he replied.

"Have you been paying attention to what I just said?" Raven asked, sitting up straight.

"Unless I heard ya wrong, you said you got ticked off at BeastBoy for bein' a pain, you said… 'something'," he stressed, unsure of Raven's exact remarks, "And now, he's not himself. So, exactly, what's the problem? If anything, it makes it easier for ya."

"You're missing the point," she hopped off the table, retaining her empty tone.

"Really? You're always sayin' how he should grow up, act his age, and now, he is. What's the big deal?" he asked.

"He's acting mature. He's acting his age, but for the wrong reasons," she said.

Cyborg was silent for a few seconds. "I don't think I follow ya, Rae."

"He's not acting his age because he wants to, he's doing it because I told him to." She pointed out.

"Oh, so THAT'S what ya said to him, huh?" Cyborg said, that teasing smile returning.

Raven glared at him once more, turning her back to him. Of all the sneaky tricks.

"So, you're sayin'… what? That you prefer the old, noisy, and unrefined version as opposed to what he is now? That ya really don't want him to grow up?" he smirked.

Raven could practically hear the grin on his face.

She turned back, facing him again. "Yes…. No…. I don't know," she blurted out, becoming a bit flustered, "Maybe… but, not like this."

Cyborg couldn't help but smile at Raven's confusion.

Raven sighed, closing her eyes, collecting her thoughts. "My mind is made up," she said, moving past him towards the door, "The bet's off."

Cyborg's smile vanished. "Hu-WHAT?" he exclaimed in disbelief. "Rae," he called after her, "Raven, ya can't be serious?".

Raven stopped, just as the doors swished open. "Quite," she said plainly, her back still to Cyborg.

Cyborg had to think fast. All his planning, all he'd worked for, the limitless amusement he'd planned to view like a movie patron, was all about to walk out the door.

"C'mon, Rae. Think this through," he began, pleadingly, watching her walk through the doorway, "What's endin' the bet really gonna' accomplish?"

Raven stopped, having one foot out the door.

"It's not gonna' solve anything," he continued, feeling as though she was at least hearing him out, "You really think if ya just pretend this never happened, everything'll just go back to normal?"

Raven's head turned about an inch, lending an ear to Cyborg's opinion.

"Let's say you actually call the whole thing off. Then, what?" he posed another question, "You gonna' just keep your distance and hope he goes back to the way he was? All it's gonna' prove is that you really could care less whether he changes or not, and ya don't want anything to do with him either way. And, eventually… he's just gonna'… turn into you, and I'm talking permanently."

Raven was stiff and unmoving. She made not a sound, her expression still void of any change, difficult to say if she agreed with what Cyborg was saying, or thought it was just a total crock.

"I know you're not terribly fond of the little guy, but…"

"You're right," Raven said, cutting him off, "I'm not very fond of him."

Cyborg just stared at the back of Raven's head.

"He annoys me beyond belief. He continues to insist that he's humorous when he has yet to tell a single joke that even resembles 'funny'. He has forced me to exercise more and more control over my powers, and strains the levels of my patience, to the likes of which, are unheard of," she stated, calmly. "Maybe you were right. Perhaps it would be easier if he remained the way he is."

"No, wait. Raven, I didn't…" he tried to explain, feeling as though she misunderstood.

"Thank you, Cyborg," she looked over her shoulder, lightly bowing her head in sincere thanks, "If you'll excuse me."

Raven exited the room, the door closing behind her, leaving Cyborg in silence.

Once out in the hall, Raven leaned against the door, breathing a heavy sigh of relief. Shortly after which, a light fixture above her burst in a crack of black energy.

Raven looked up at the now darker section of the hall. "The things I do to maintain my image," she whispered to herself, pulling up her hood to conceal a faint smile. One of the upsides to not showing emotion constantly? It made it very easy and very believable to lie.

It was now nearly noon as Raven headed up the stairwell. BeastBoy had been nowhere to be found since her stealthy observation of his interaction with others at breakfast. He wasn't in the main room, he wasn't in his room, not in the training room, so by process of elimination, there was only one place left that he could be.

Raven thought back to Cyborg's words as she climbed the stairs. Even though she was certain that the only reason he'd tried to talk her out of calling off the bet was to not miss out on watching the two of them squirm, appeasing his slightly twisted sense of humor, she couldn't deny the fact that he had a point. Simply backing out now wouldn't accomplish anything. The bet wasn't the cause of this, she was. It started with her, and it'd end with her.

Raven opened the door, stepping out onto the roof. Sure enough, there was BeastBoy, sitting on the ground, two or three comics by his feet, and a handheld video game in hand.

BeastBoy maintained his focus on the game screen, not taking his eyes off it. The beeps and other assorted sound effects of his game were still audible enough to hear, but the volume on the device was turned far lower than the setting he'd normally have it. His expression was as vacant as the early morning, hard to tell if he was actually enjoying the game, or anything for that matter.

Raven came to a halt in front of BeastBoy, looking down at him. "BeastBoy," she said plainly, seeming as nothing more than acknowledging him.

"Raven," he returned the response, not looking up from his game.

There was a brief and uncomfortable silence, aside from the sounds of BeastBoy's video game.

"You… didn't come to get me this morning," she said, in her normal tone, breaking the silence.

"Thought you'd wanna' sleep in for a little bit today," he replied, eyes still glued to the screen.

Raven folded her arms. "I suppose… thanks are in order," she looked off to the side, seeming as passive as ever.

Again, there was an uncomfortable silence. The closest BeastBoy came to a reply was scratching the tip of his nose, before continuing his full effort on the game.

"Sleep seems to be a bit… elusive as of late," she started, taking a few steps to her right, walking behind him, looking over his shoulder.

BeastBoy continued to frivolously push buttons on his hand held game.

"I… guess losing a person's temper can sometimes have that effect. Especially over… petty matters," she looked towards the sky, trying to make her apology as subtle as possible.

Again, BeastBoy was totally silent.

Raven shifted her eyes down at him, trying to judge any kind of reaction. "Not that… that person wouldn't be entitled to getting a taste of their own medicine," she commented, making reference to BeastBoy's change towards her, seeming to apologize without actually apologizing.

Her apology was sounding more and more like a comparison than an actual apology, using the word person for both herself and BeastBoy. But again, Raven was fairly a stranger to matters like these.

Raven slowly sat Indian style beside him. But, no sooner had her backside touched the ground, than BeastBoy got to his feet, turning off his game.

"Just about lunch time," he said plainly, dusting himself off, "Think I'm gonna go grab a bite to eat." He began walking back towards the door.

After a second or two to register BeastBoy's still unchanged demeanor, Raven herself rose back to her feet, following just a few steps behind him.

"Of course…" she started, continuing her makeshift apology a little louder for BeastBoy to hear, but still as calm as before, "There are limitations as far as what one person should go through…"

BeastBoy opened the door to the stairwell.

"Not to mention how far the other person should take it…"

He shut the door, rather loudly, remaining on the roof, turning to face Raven. He gave an exhausted sigh, similar to the way Raven would act when he was bothering her.

"Okay, Raven. What do you want from me?" he asked, annoyance clear in his voice, just one step below angry.

Briefly startled by his sudden response, Raven quickly collected herself, restoring her passive stare. "At the moment, simple acknowledgment," she said.

"Look, I got the message," he said, leaning against the door, "I got on your nerves. I took your advice, and grew up. So, why don't you just get off my back?"

"My advice?" she asked, raising an eyebrow, raising her voice so as not to be intimidated, but doing her best not to match his tone of voice. "I never said give up on everything you enjoy. I never said behave like a librarian. I never said act like a quiet, uncaring twit!"

BeastBoy's eyes narrowed, a confused look on his face. "WHAT IS YOUR DEAL!" he demanded, his arms out to his sides, "First, you're always tellin' me how loud and all immature I am, and how I should act my age, and then, when I do change, THAT'S not good enough either. Make up your mind! What do you want from me?"

As hard as it was to believe, Raven relished the moment. It was probably the only thing Raven had heard out of him that resembled his former self in the last two days. His arguing resembled that of a small child.

The two were deadlocked, staring at one another. Not in a hateful manner, they just stared, neither one of them knowing how to respond or what to say. Clearly, both showed signs of being upset with one another, and both were extremely tense, but at least they'd managed to clear the air a bit, getting the matter right out into the open.

Raven was first to break contact, closing her eyes, raising her hand, signaling that they both needed to calm down. "This is exactly how this whole mess began. Speaking without thinking," she pointed out.

BeastBoy still appeared far from relaxed, but he visibly showed easing of tension, relaxing his shoulders a bit.

"I admit, some of the remarks I made were… insensitive," she explained.

"How bout' REAL insensitive," he added, seeming to agree.

"They were also partially true," Raven said, not wanting him to think she was going soft on him.

"Hmph!" BeastBoy grunted, folding his arms, looking away.

"But, mostly, I was speaking out of anger," she said sympathetically, "I won't deny that you can be a trifle annoying at times, but… everything else I said…"

BeastBoy looked at her out of the corner of his eye.

"Well… let's just say what came out should've stayed in, and just leave it at that," she finished, "I never meant to give you the impression that it would be best for you to… well…"

"Turn into you?" he hinted, turning back to face her.

Raven frowned. "I was going to say, be something you're not."

BeastBoy nervously laughed, definitely a sign that things were at least heading in the right direction.

"Anyway, I hope that you can find it in you to accept my apology," Raven bowed her head.

"Yeah… well…" BeastBoy started, scratching the back of his head, "I coulda' sorta' tried a little harder to keep the annoying stuff to a minimum. So, I guess I'm sorry too."

"So… apology accepted then?" Raven asked.

"Only if you accept mine first," he said with a small but hopeful smile, extending his hand.

Raven slowly took his hand, giving a brief handshake, allowing the faintest of smiles.

"Whew," BeastBoy sighed in relief, "Glad that's outta the way. I don't know how much longer I coulda' kept that whole 'quiet guy' routine goin'." BeastBoy was sounding like his old self again. "Honestly, Raven, I don't know how ya do it."

"It's easy, once you realize just how foolish everyone else acts by comparison," she said, hinting at BeastBoy.

BeastBoy looked at her, faking a hurt expression. "Yeah, well… it's easy to be foolish once ya realize just how bor- uh, quiet 'some' people are," BeastBoy had caught himself before saying something that might've started the whole mess all over again, smiling.

Raven picked up on this, mildly touched by his choice of words, when there were so many others he could've blurted out. "Maybe. But, you know, 'some' people interpret silence as normalcy."

"Take it from a pro, Raven. Normal, is overrated," he grinned.

Even though only a small margin, Raven's smile grew.

"By the way, you almost got me, ya know," BeastBoy interjected.

Raven looked questionably at him.

"The whoopee cushion?" he flashed his eyebrows, his grin growing.

Raven turned away, hiding the rush of warmth to her face. "You… noticed that?" she asked, pretending not to care, unsure if he had actually ignored it or simply failed to notice.

"Mm-Hmm," he nodded. "Were you tryin' to fill in for me, or did you just miss me that much?" His grin almost went around to the back of his neck.

Raven's icy stare returned. "You DO realize just how badly I could hurt you, right?" her tone more in the manner of a friendly warning than an actual threat, not wanting him to get the wrong idea.

BeastBoy chuckled nervously. "I can live with that," he offered apologetically.

"Good," she replied blankly. "Incidentally, how come your apology came a lot quicker than mine?" she asked genuinely curious.

"You forget, I say I'm sorry a lot more than you do. I have experience and practice on my side," he smiled proudly.

Raven looked at him in an odd way. "Just so you know, that's not really something to be proud of."

"Hey, we're having a moment here. Don't ruin it," he said humbly.

Raven rolled her eyes, those words being all too familiar to her.

"Now," BeastBoy said, opening the door, "How bout' that lunch?" He bowed, holding the door for her, gesturing for her to go first.

Raven walked past him, giving a slight nod, as if to say 'thank you'.

"Um… Raven?" he asked sheepishly, just as she got a little past him.

"Hmm?" she looked curiously at him.

"Uh… well… ya know all those immature things I've said to ya?" he asked, twiddling his fingers, "All those childish I pranks I pulled on you?"

Raven looked at him, figuring it was one last assurance that he was sorry. "Yes?" she replied simply.

There was a short silence as BeastBoy finally managed to bring his eyes up from the ground, finding it difficult to face her.

"I'd like to do them all over again," he grinned, the shimmer rekindling in his eyes.

All was as it should be.

The day ended as quickly as it had begun. Following lunch, the two titans had taken the rest of the day to fully analyze and discuss their situation, and plan arrangements to prevent any further misunderstandings from occurring. The bet was still in its early going, and was far from over, but at least now, things would run a lot smoother. At least, that was their hope anyway.

Raven entered her room, signifying her closing out the day. BeastBoy had just taken his leave of her, following him walking her to her room. Raven closed the door, slowly making her way to her bed, too tired to even bother to remove her cloak. She pulled back the covers, slipping into bed, anxious at the prospect of rest. For the first time in two days, Raven was looking forward to sleep that didn't include guilt lulling her in and out of slumber, or passing out from exhaustion.

"_BeastBoy's back to his old self,"_ she played in her mind, _"His old loud, spunky, laughing, annoying self."_

Raven stopped in thought, staring up at the ceiling. "I've recreated a monster," she said in her dull uncaring tone. But, contrary to her thought and previous statement, she smiled anyway.

Raven nestled beneath the covers preparing to let slumber wash over her. Her pupils wearily wandered around the room, rolling over onto her side, allowing her cloak to drape over her, lazily surveying the room one last time before the weight of her eyelids became too much to bare.

Suddenly, just as she was about to doze off, something caught her view, causing her eyes to snap wide open, sitting up in bed and looking down at her cloak.

Raven slowly pulled her cloak into her grasp, unfolding it to get a better look at it. "That's strange," she said, closely analyzing it. It seemed the same as before. "I could've sworn…" Raven was cut off by a faint yawn. "Ah, I'll figure it out in the morning," she said sleepily, rubbing her eyes and tossing her cloak to the floor.

Raven rolled back over, drifting into a deep sleep.

She couldn't understand it, but for a second, she thought she saw something. Maybe it was credited to a combination of the lack of light in the room and of sleep that was beginning to take hold of her, but for a brief moment, she could've sworn she saw the color of her cloak shift. Almost… lighten.

**Next Chapter:** BeastBoy is BeastBoy once more, and all is right with the world. But what else does the next twenty-seven days have in store for our two joined heroes.


	7. Broadening Horizons

**Quality Time**

**Chapter 7: Broadening Horizons**

It was bright and early the next day. The fourth consecutive of which Raven and BeastBoy spent in one another's company as proposed by Cyborg's wager. Neither of them knew what was in it for the other, nor had they even bothered to ask, and despite nearly shredding their already fragile relationship to pieces over the course of the first two days, they had chosen to continue with the bet and its arrangement.

It was unusual that Raven had gone through as much as she did. In less than a few short days, she'd emotionally ripped BeastBoy apart, built him back up, and restored him to his former self. One would think that with everything back to normal, the wise thing to do would be to quit while everything was as it should be. Raven had been lucky things had turned out as fortunate as they had, but continuing with the bet would mean leaving even more to chance. She'd nearly changed BeastBoy for the worst, somehow implanting the thought in his head that he'd be more suitable as a mirror image of her persona. This had not been her intention, but it had happened nonetheless. Who was to say what else BeastBoy might be swayed into becoming the next time Raven lost sight of her temper, or perhaps, the other way around. It was highly unlikely that BeastBoy would cause Raven to reflect the exact opposite of the way she was now, but this meant there was more at stake for him. What if BeastBoy brought about a regression of Raven's being and her emotions?

However, Raven wasn't very big on the idea of quitting. Even though it would mean more free time, less noise, and returning to her balanced daily routine, she couldn't bring herself to simply end it now. Sure, she had a stake in this. She had not forgotten how Cyborg talked her into it and what he'd offered, but that was the least of what had kept her in this wager. Raven was nobody's fool. She knew that if she backed out now, neither her nor BeastBoy would hear the end of it from Cyborg. She could live with it if BeastBoy called it quits, but she did not want to be known as the weaker link between her and BeastBoy. If he could endure, so could she, and though Raven was normally above such petty matters, this time, she didn't want to lose. She could sense deep down just how much BeastBoy wanted to beat Cyborg at his own game, a surprisingly determined and almost unwavering confidence that swelled within him. Maybe it was starting to rub off on her. Maybe that was why she hadn't quit. Maybe that's why she seemed to develop this slightly competitive nature. Maybe that's why she wanted to win.

But, the bet would indeed continue. Raven and BeastBoy were both all too aware after what'd they'd been through thus far of what could potentially happen, but they felt as though they had a more mutual understanding of the risk now, having nearly severed what small bond that had taken so long to establish between each other. On top of that, they'd spent the better part of yesterday working out a way for them to coexist with each other for the remainder of the twenty-six days of the bet. It was during this time that they came upon what they believed to be the cause of their prior problems.

The reason Raven had lashed out, like she explained earlier, had been the result of exposure to BeastBoy's behavior for the entire day. Only accustomed to tolerating him in small doses, this became too much for Raven to bare, and as a result, triggered her outburst at him. The problem wasn't BeastBoy, at least not entirely. It was partially both of their faults.

Raven always tended to block out distractions, but this became increasingly difficult during her routines of meditation, reading, and so forth. BeastBoy wasn't a constant bother, but he became increasingly louder and hectic while in the midst of his daily routines, such as his videogames, movie watching, and various others along that curriculum, and that had been precisely the problem.

Raven and BeastBoy were complete opposites in terms of how they spent their free time. Raven, more accustomed to quiet activities which helped to keep her bustling emotions passive and under control. BeastBoy, more in sync with activities that were slightly more stimulating, keeping his somewhat childish nature from boredom.

The problem arose not because BeastBoy's fun annoyed Raven, nor because Raven had low tolerance of BeastBoy's amusement. The problem was, they had both been trying to do what they'd normally do on a daily basis without taking fully into consideration how the other would be affected. In short, they were partaking in activities contrary to the other's nature at the same time. The more fun BeastBoy had with his videogames for instance, the more it annoyed Raven because it was cutting into her quiet time. The more Raven attempted to undertake silent activities like her reading, the more restless BeastBoy got. It was like pouring gas on an already lit fire. The flames kept getting higher and higher, until eventually, they got burned.

So now that they understood the problem, the answer was simple. Seeing as how it was evident they couldn't do what they both wanted to do at the same time without getting on one another's nerves, a compromise was the only solution. The two had agreed that they'd alternate, each day revolving on the other's normal routine. If they were both doing the same thing, it'd be less likely to cause an issue. One day, they'd both do Raven's daily activities, the following day would be BeastBoy's, and so on. It was their hope that they'd either gradually adjust to the change, or at the very least, tolerate it enough until each day was over.

It was now just a little past eleven o'clock as the two Titans sat on the couch in the main room, facing the television screen. Raven stared at the screen, her arms folded, leaning back against the couch. BeastBoy, on the other hand, seemed a bit restless, looking back and forth between Raven and the screen. It was clear that something was on his mind.

"Um, Raven?" he started nervously, "You sure about this?"

"Yes," she replied, not taking her eyes off the screen, "We both agreed to alternate routines on a daily basis, right?"

"Y-yeah… but…" he stuttered a bit.

"Well, we've spent the last three days revolving around most of my daily routines. So, it's only fair that we start with yours first," she said, a slight impatience in her tone. It was bad enough she was subjecting herself to BeastBoy's mindless activities without him double-checking every five minutes.

"Well… okay. But, you could… ya know… read a book or somethin' if ya wanted to," he pointed out sheepishly, picking up a game station controller from off the floor. He couldn't help but feel uneasy with the thought of Raven beside him like a statue, unmoving, feeling as though he'd be boring her.

"No. Reading would be too much of a strain in concentration with your… 'game' going on right in front of me. And we both remember what happened last time, right?" she asked, shifting her eyes to her side to gauge his reaction.

"Just sayin'…" he shrugged.

"I'll be fine. Just get on with your game," she sighed. Raven was not looking forward to this. She didn't want to risk reading a book, only to have her concentration repeatedly broken by BeastBoy's content squealing and taunting, but she didn't want to just sit there as a mindless observer either. Still, best to at least be accustomed to it now as there was still a long way to go in the bet. Besides, BeastBoy hadn't griped about any of her daily habits, at least, not yet, and on top of that, after everything they'd been through thus far, she felt she at least owed him this much.

Reluctantly, BeastBoy leaned over, flipping the power switch on the game station, causing the screen to briefly go black as the game loaded onto the screen. He put his feet up on the table, glancing beside him. "I'll… uh… try to keep the victory dances to a minimum," he shyly grinned.

Raven rolled her eyes. "Whatever."

Within a minute or so, the game flashed a load screen, indicating the game was warming up. Raven lazily watched as the tiny progress bar at the bottom of the screen gradually filled the meter. She casually looked at BeastBoy, who was hunched over, firmly gripping the controller, a somewhat glazed-over look in his eyes and a small smirk of anticipation curling the side of his mouth. Raven looked back at the screen, her eyes halfway closed, as a sleepy sensation began to overtake her.

"It hasn't even started, and already, I'm having the time of my life," she said sarcastically.

BeastBoy snapped his fingers, briefly bringing her out of her trance. "Dude! I almost forgot."

"You need a purpose to play these games?" she cracked dryly.

"Uh… no," he said, unphased or unknowing of the intent of Raven's remark. "It's important for the gamer to have adequate snackage," he beamed, "Be right back!"

BeastBoy vaulted over the couch, making his way into the kitchen. He began opening cabinets, cupboards, and any other place sure to be hiding food he deemed acceptable to enjoy while in the midst of gaming. Raven watched as he pulled boxes of cookies, bags of potato chips, and numerous other heavily salted and sugary snacks into his arms.

"Amazing," Raven said plainly to herself, turning back to the screen, "He can eat that much junk food, and yet his overly cheery attitude doesn't burn off when the sugar does."

As Raven returned her view to the screen, she had now discovered the game was ready, as the title screen greeted her.

"BeastBoy," she called, "Your game."

Unfortunately, BeastBoy was too busy rummaging through more and more cabinets and compartments, clanging together pots and pans too loudly for him to hear her.

Raven shook her head with a sigh, deciding his game would keep. She looked back at the screen, finding nothing else worthwhile to catch her eye, taking a closer look at the content on the screen.

The background of the title screen was, or at least looked like, a cityscape. Saturated by countless shades of blue signifying a cold and harsh environment. Various buildings were shattered, wreckage and debris everywhere, and abandoned and wrecked cars littered the one visible street. A stoplight hung crookedly, it's lights barely flickering, cycling through the colors. Sound effects mimicking a harsh wind whispered through the TV's speakers, a bit creepy, but overall a very believable presentation.

The title then appeared, imposing over the scene: ZOMBIE SLAYER 4.

This was no doubt another one of BeastBoy's mindless ghoul fest games. A typical story where a city is overrun with flesh eating monsters and other horrific atrocities, and you, the 'lone hero', fight your way through, chopping, hacking, slashing, blasting, and whatever other violent impulses are in you at the time, in order to save the world. Raven had heard him and Cyborg talk about this game so many times, she almost had the storyline practically burned into her brain.

"Oh, like he doesn't get enough of this stuff in the real world," she said, remembering a few choice missions and villains in the past.

The game's title screen flashed the words: PRESS START. Hardly an alluring or tempting display, but at the moment, it was the only thing to look at. Raven watched the words continue to flash, beginning to count in her mind how many times it appeared, over and over. Raven closed her eyes, deeming it pointless to dwell on something so mind numbingly insignificant.

After a minute or two, Raven cracked one eye open, still acknowledging the screen. She quickly looked behind her, finding BeastBoy halfway inside the refrigerator, now inspecting his options for something to drink. She quickly turned back to the screen shutting her eyes once more.

Another minute passed, and still, BeastBoy was in the kitchen hunting up refreshments, leaving Raven somewhat impatiently tapping her fingers. Her eyes still closed, Raven tried to relax her mind, but without delving into deep meditation, knowing it would be interrupted as soon as she started. She took long, calming breaths, doing her best to pass the time until BeastBoy's return from the kitchen. For a simple snack, this was taking an awful long time.

Raven turned around again, another minute having gone by. BeastBoy was now laying out snacks onto small serving trays. It looked as if he had prepared enough snacks to feed a small social function.

"Are you going to cater to half the city, or what?" she asked, her impatience finally surfacing.

"Hey! I'm devoted to my games, and I don't like to play on an empty stomach," he said, not taking his eyes off his snack preparation, "I'll only be a little bit longer. If you're gettin' restless, why don't ya start without me?"

Raven simply blinked. "Pass," she replied to his offer, turning back to the screen.

Why was this so aggravating to just sit still? Raven was used to sitting still and durations of quiet before, but not where she chose not to meditate or read. This was definitely something new to her, slightly out of her comfort zone, doing absolutely nothing when there was bound to be something she could be doing. Her mind was in neutral, devoid of thought, totally unresponsive to everything around her. She wasn't used to her mind operating at such slow capacity. Perhaps this was what BeastBoy referred to as… boredom?

Raven shook her head, casting off such an obscure thought. She made it sound like she had caught some foreign illness. Boredom wasn't some kind of infectious disease, it was a perfectly common and natural thing, especially among teenagers. So how come this was the first time she could ever remember being bored? Probably because she'd promised herself not to give in to her own activities, and stick to doing what BeastBoy wanted to do for the day. No wonder he always tried to stay active. However, this was still uncharted territory for Raven, coping with silence that didn't involve reading or meditation.

She glanced at the screen once more, but shut her eyes again just as quickly. She refused to give in to such mindless forms of occupying her mind. She had enough things that cluttered up her mind as it was. She didn't need something to degrade it.

"Just relax," she whispered to herself, "Just… relax." Her voice offered peace to her thoughts, not meditating, but merely zoning out briefly until BeastBoy returned.

Raven's tension eased, feeling a bit relieved. The darkness of her eyes shut brought her some manner of tranquility. She leaned back further into the couch, relaxing her muscles, becoming dead weight. Then, she could see a brief glimmer of light. A small flicker of white illumination, projected by her mind no doubt, starting as a blur, but becoming larger. Was it some kind of omen? A new, untapped ability?

The light became brighter, coming closer to her mind's eye, almost seeming as if it were starting to form something. Raven made out a letter from within the light, then another, and then another. It was beginning to spell something out. Slowly, the message became clearer, as if some divine force was reaching out to her. Finally, the message was made clear. The bright flashing light formed the message: "PRESS START"

Raven gasped, snapping her eyes open. She quickly looked behind her, finding BeastBoy still in the kitchen. She turned back, trying to make heads or tails of what had just happened. Was it some kind of daydream, or just her mind playing tricks on her?

Maybe that last accusation wasn't so far fetched. After all, Raven's heightened mental abilities had strange side effects before. It wouldn't be so out of the ordinary to believe that if her mind could bring monster movie creatures to life, who knew what else it could do. Maybe this was her own way of coping with boredom. It was only possible that maybe her emotion driven powers were trying to broadcast suggestions in her mind to end this uneasiness she was experiencing.

"Great," she muttered, "Just what I needed. A suggestion box in my head."

Raven looked down at the controller, which had been discarded on the floor when BeastBoy had run off to attain his snacks.

"Oh, no. Not going to happen," she crossed her arms over her chest, refusing to give in to boredom, no matter how great. Raven still had her pride after all. Was she really willing to attempt what she had desperately avoided for so very long just because of a little impulse, boredom, and a hint of curiosity? Was she really willing to forget all those cracks and remarks about how petty and childish such things like they were?

Raven opened one eye, glancing down at the controller. She then quickly turned around to survey the kitchen, confirming BeastBoy was still not yet prepared to return. She snatched up the controller quickly, dropping it into her lap.

"For the record, I was stretching, the cord got caught on my sleeve, and 'fell' into my lap," she said, eyeing the room suspiciously, trying to convince anyone not visible in the immediate vicinity.

She carefully picked up the controller, a device as alien to her understanding of its workings as a dish of Starfire's cuisine. Dangling it by its cord with two fingers, she made note of the symbols on each of the four buttons on the right side, the directional pad on the left, and the analog sticks in the middle. There didn't seem to be any trick to it.

Raven now had the controller firmly grasped in the appropriate manner, sitting Indian style on the couch, taking one last look behind to insure no one else was approaching.

"Just one brief trial. It'll be out of my system, and off my mind," she said assuringly to herself.

Raven pushed the start button. The screen faded to black, dissolving from the title screen to a brief narration of the plot of the game. Raven watched as a few paragraphs scrolled upwards, giving the gist of the story. Raven eyes moved back and forth, reading the text as it appeared. It was the typical story: Lethal outbreak of the living dead, everyone dead except you. If they reach beyond the city limits, it's game over for you and the rest of the world. She paraphrased through most of the over dramatic lines.

"Who thinks up this stuff?" she asked herself.

After the tedious story telling was at an end, Raven was brought to a character selection screen. Several characters were lined up, allowing you to cycle through, and pick one of your choice. All the characters were in complete 3D, indicating it was a fairly up to date game as Raven moved from character to character to select a hero to play as.

The first choice available was a fairly average male character, decent build, with slicked back hair, a sawed off shotgun in one hand, and a chainsaw imbedded in the other.

"Too macho," Raven casually shook her head.

The next, another male character in a gray jumpsuit with an insignia on his shoulder of a zombie in a red circle with a vertical slash through it, black boots, and wearing some form of supped up backpack with a laser attached to it.

"Too eighties," Raven shook her head again.

The next character was a sleek female character dressed in black leather from head to toe, brandishing a whip in one hand, and a mid sized dagger imbedded in the base of a silver cross in the other.

"Obviously geared towards the male persuasion of players, but I suppose it'll do," she grimly accepted.

Raven selected her character as the screen faded out once more. After a few seconds, the screen faded in to Raven's character, now downtown on a deserted city street. The only movement the occasional stray newspaper drifting down the street, she took a moment to take in the scene of obvious riot and devastation surrounding her character. A small fire here, broken windows and shattered glass there, even spying a few lifeless bodies propped up against the side of a few buildings. All of it designed to intimidate, to creep people out.

"Charming," Raven said in a dull voice, "Well, I suppose my person should move, I guess."

It didn't take a wiz to determine the game could not be as simple as to merely stand in one spot. Raven fumbled with the controls at first, gradually gaining an understanding of movement, taking her character from one spot to another, trying to find some kind of hint as to where she was supposed to go or what she was supposed to do. She brought her character to a stop in front of a seemingly abandoned building with wooden boards poorly nailed against the windows. The door was tattered with markings similar to someone or something striking or clawing at it.

"Oh, that looks safe," she remarked. "Well… I'm not getting anywhere at this rate. May as well."

Raven pushed a button, causing her character reach out, opening the door. As soon as the door was open, a decrepit hand reached out, grabbing her swiftly by the face. Several other monstrous looking appendages reached out grabbing her arms, legs and torso, yanking her inside, slamming the door shut. A blood curdling scream echoed from behind the closed door, as the words 'YOU'RE DEAD' appeared across the screen in big red letters.

Raven had sat through all of this, passively staring and unflinching, not even startled. After all, she'd seen far worse things.

"So, now I'm dead. Just as well," she shrugged, dropping the controller beside her uncaringly, "It wasn't really going anywhere anyway."

Raven leaned back against the couch, looking lazily up at the ceiling, resting her head against her arms, now behind her. "Honestly," she began, "What does BeastBoy see in these ridiculous things?"

A short while later, Raven found herself staring at the screen, almost as if possessed, gripping the controller firmly and furiously pushing buttons. Not long after her initial defeat, she found the urge to play again. And then again, and again, and before she was even aware of it, she was hooked. She still played in her uncaring and unenthusiastic manner, but her eyes told a different story. Narrowing her field of vision at the television screen, focused and determined, twitching her eyes just slightly enough to refrain from blinking.

"Come on," she whispered quietly, watching as she poised her character, striking down multiple zombies and racking up points.

Though she may not have admitted it, she could now see why BeastBoy found these games enjoyable. Raven had to constantly exercise control on her mind, but now with her mind just drifting like this and concentrating solely on the game, it kept her mind occupied almost to the same degree of meditation, keeping her mind so focused on one thing that it gave no leeway for her powers to slip out.

"No," she muttered, watching as a small herd of zombies began to surround her character, slowly boxing her in.

Raven tried to fend them off, but there were just too many for her character to handle. As soon as she took down one, another would take its place.

"What do I do?" she asked herself, "What do I do?"

"Move the analog stick to the left, press the X button three times, and then swing the analog stick quick to the right."

Raven did as she was told, following the instructions. She watched as her character pulled off a special move, swinging her whip around like a helicopter blade at lightning speed, pushing the zombies back. Her character then executed a flying leap into the air, bringing down her dagger, thrusting it into the ground, causing a massive eruption of blue light to rise up, destroying all the remaining zombies on the screen. Raven's character gave a triumphant grin and a thumbs up, signaling the area was clear.

Raven gave a sigh of relief, falling back against the couch, wiping a drop of sweat from her brow. She had actually been so into it that she was starting to sweat. "That was close," she breathed silently, "Thanks for the…"

Raven's eyes went wide, realizing she was not alone. Who gave her those instructions? Raven's neck creaked, turning her head slowly, only to find BeastBoy leaning his head against the back of the couch, stuffing a mouthful of popcorn into his mouth, watching the screen.

Raven instantly dropped the controller scooting an inch away, clearing her throat, pretending as if she had just been sitting there idly the whole time. "H-How long have you been there?" she asked, still recovering from the slight shock, but retaining her blank expression.

BeastBoy munched on the popcorn in his mouth, swallowing just as he cracked a smirk. "I came in around the time you played for the supposed last time, and then gave it a second try," he grinned.

Raven gave a deadly gaze to him. "And you didn't tell me… because?"

"You looked like you were having too much fun," he shrugged with a smile, "Didn't wanna' spoil it for ya."

"I don't do 'fun'," she looked away, crossing her arms.

"Right," he said teasingly, hardly convinced, "And you don't go to the bathroom either, you just explode when you're thirty."

Raven responded with another death glare.

"C'mon, Rae," he put up his hands, gesturing her to cool down, "No need to be hostile here. I'm on your side, remember?" He leaped over the couch, plopping down into the cushions, extending a bowl of popcorn within her reach.

Raven slowly turned back, still a trifle miffed, giving no verbal reply but scooping a small handful of popcorn.

"So?" he asked.

"So, what?" she got out, before eating a few popped kernels individually.

"The game," he hinted.

Raven gave a brief pause, her eyes closed, swallowing her popcorn.

"Well, don't leave me in suspense. How was it?" he asked, grinning in anticipation, "Was it as fun as I make it out to be when I brag?"

Raven opened her eyes halfway, turning to face him. "One, you hardly have rights to brag. I should know. I have to constantly endure how often Cyborg and Robin wisecrack about you when you loose, which is a very high margin of the time."

BeastBoy's grin flopped into a frown.

"In fact, I'd be willing to stake that Starfire could probably best you at these games as well," she added dryly, giving merit to her own learning curve of the game.

"She's never even played," he pointed out.

"You catch on quickly," she answered promptly.

BeastBoy's frown hung lower. He expected any minute now, there'd be a rain cloud over his head.

"Two," she continued, looking back at the idle game screen, "It was hardly what I'd define as 'fun'," she commented, almost coldly.

BeastBoy slumped back further into the couch, sticking out his tongue at her. However, he quickly pulled his tongue back in his mouth, narrowly avoiding her as she turned back to face him.

"But, it was… tolerable," she stated, unenthusiastic as ever.

BeastBoy dawned his sly smile once again. "Well, ya might not think it's so 'tolerable' after I whoop you at it," he beamed with confidence, "Ya know, a computer can only offer so much challenge."

"How low of a challenge can it be if it beats you?" she replied.

Now, it was BeastBoy's turn to glare at her.

At that moment, Raven's stomach let out a low growl. Quickly, she grabbed hold of her stomach with both hands, as if trying to ward off further noise, blushing slightly. BeastBoy's glare ceased, holding in a fit of laughter, but not unnoticed by Raven.

"Weren't you preparing snacks earlier?" she asked, annoyed by his amusement, bringing her blush under control.

"Hmm?" he looked puzzled for an instant, clearly lost of his train of thought, "Oh, Yeah!" He darted back over to the kitchen, bringing back trays of food.

He laid out the many bowls of chips, chocolates, pretzels, and other assorted categories of BeastBoy's self deemed food groups. Hardly the most well rounded meal, but at the moment, Raven was so hungry, she gave it little mind. She took a napkin, which she was mildly surprised BeastBoy was aware of to bring, and placed a short stack of potato chips and popcorn on top of it before setting it down by her side. With food no longer an issue, she picked up her controller, only after BeastBoy picked up a controller of his own, picking small amounts off the napkin as they began the game a new.

"Wish I could say I was surprised to see you were hungry enough to eat this kinda stuff, but after the way you been playin'…" he trailed off.

Raven crooked an eyebrow in his direction. "How long was I playing that mindless dribble anyway?"

BeastBoy thought for a moment, using what little mathematic aptitude was available to him. "Bout' two hours, give or take," he answered bluntly.

"Two hours?" Raven repeated, slightly surprised, "It felt like only a couple of minutes."

"These things have that kind of effect. Minutes turn into hours, hours turn into days, days turn into months," he explained with a smirk, drawing from his own experiences with games in the past.

"I shutter to think what comes after that," she gazed at the screen, resuming button pushing as they started the game in two-player mode.

They continued to play for about fifteen or so minutes. Raven played uninterested, but diligently, occasionally munching from the wide array of snacks laid out by her green host. BeastBoy focused primarily on the game, glancing back with a grin every once in a while at the impossible made possible. Raven, at his side, and playing mindless videogames. A day that would live in infamy.

After another ten minutes, Raven swallowed hard, removing one hand from the controller to gently rub her throat. "Did you bring anything to drink by any chance?" she asked, feeling the salty snacks beginning to dry out the inside of her mouth.

"Got ya covered," he said cheerily, pausing the game momentarily, reaching behind the couch.

BeastBoy removed a large two liter bottle of cola, placing a silly straw through the cap, sucking the fluid through three swirls and a loopdy loop.

Raven rolled her eyes. "Just what you need. More sugar."

BeastBoy released his mouth from the straw, letting out relief from wetting his throat. "Be nice, or you won't get what I brought for you," he warned, but in a playful manner.

Raven sighed, giving in, feeling even more parched. She held out her hand, accepting whatever BeastBoy was offering.

BeastBoy pulled a small kettle and mug from behind the couch. Taken off guard by the amazingly thoughtful gesture, she watched as BeastBoy poured her a cup of hot liquid, handing it to her.

"Herbal tea?" she said, still a bit surprised, "I wasn't aware there was any left from this morning." She could clearly recall finishing the entire batch this morning over breakfast.

"There wasn't. This is fresh," he smiled.

Raven gave an uncaring stare. "Fresh? You mean… YOU made this?" she looked suspiciously at him, reaching for the cup. "How good could it be?" she said, doubting the quality of the tea.

"How good does it have to be?" he grinned, almost able to see Raven's throat getting dryer by the minute.

She gave one final look at him, finding it pointless to push the matter forward, but still eying the mug cautiously. She was very thirsty, yet still reluctant to put the mug to her lips.

"Oh, come on, Rae! It's tea. You dip a bag in hot water," he pointed out the simplicity of it, "Even I couldn't mess that up." He gave a proud smile, though still doing little to reassure her doubts.

Giving into her thirst, she finally took a sip. No sooner had the hot liquid touched her mouth, she spit the tea out, spraying it into the air like a mist. "You surpass your own expectations once again, BeastBoy," she said, lightly coughing from the horrible taste, almost on the verge of gagging. Raven was used to tea being bitter, but this was just plain awful.

"Huh?" he said surprised, swiping the cup from Raven's hand. "No way! It can't be that bad." BeastBoy took a sip, but mimicked her own actions, spitting it up just the same. "Aw, Yuck!" he hollered, wiping his mouth and sticking out his tongue in disgust. It tasted like a combination of charcoal and sweat socks.

BeastBoy got up, holding the kettle far out in front of him as if he were handling a bomb. He walked to the sink, dumping the remainder of the tea down the drain.

"I don't get it. What did I do wrong?" he asked, making his way back to the couch, "I coulda' sworn I did exactly like the…" BeastBoy stopped.

He found Raven, holding the cola bottle, the cap and straw removed, at a vertical angle, greedily downing the soda in a massive gulp.

"Why, Raven," he smirked, "Never really pictured you as a soda person."

"I'm not," she said, putting down the bottle, catching her breath, "I just needed to get that rancid taste out of my mouth."

"Oh, right," he chuckled nervously, "Give it here."

Raven handed BeastBoy the cola bottle. BeastBoy wet his lips, tilting his head back, raising the bottle's opening over his mouth. Nothing came out. "Huh?" he peered one eye into the bottle, shaking it sternly. Only a single drop of cola dripped out.

"Gee, thanks, Raven," he said, lightly disgruntled, tossing the bottle over his shoulder.

Raven gave a small smirk. "You're welcome."

Raven closed her eyes, still feeling BeastBoy's miniscule scorn for drinking his precious soda, smiling smugly to herself, though not sure why. BeastBoy rose to his feet, heading back to the kitchen to replenish his drink supply. Just as BeastBoy opened the refrigerator, a thunderous belch echoed throughout the tower.

BeastBoy stood up straight from fridge, alert and slightly startled, an eyebrow raised. He turned around, looking behind him. _"Couldn't have been,"_ he thought to himself. Finding Raven's back to him, still sitting on the couch, he turned back to the fridge. _"Nah,"_ he shrugged, thinking he was just hearing things, or perhaps Cyborg was field-testing one of his new toys, or something. He'd always had a way of jumping to conclusions and over exaggerating things, and this was sure to be another one where he'd be dead wrong for even questioning the matter.

Unseen by BeastBoy, Raven's face was bright red, silently agape with embarrassment. Apparently, she had been unprepared for the effects of her first time drinking such heavily carbonated beverages.

After BeastBoy fetched a fresh bottle of soda, pouring a glass for each of them, they resumed their game. The score pretty much went back and forth. BeastBoy topped Raven's score, then Raven topped his, and so on. Both of them racking up points and slaying zombies at an alarming rate. BeastBoy and Raven's characters were now back to back on the screen, warding off a whole battalion of undead monsters.

It was now just past one o'clock, and the two were on the last level of the game. The final boss appeared on the screen as a towering behemoth with three heads, swiping furiously at their characters. BeastBoy gritted his teeth, pushing buttons at high speed, getting off every combination move he could muster. Raven, not nearly as game savvy as BeastBoy, knew nowhere near as many special maneuvers, now resorting to random button mashing. The monster began to teeter backwards, his energy meter dropping fast.

Raven positioned her character for the kill, ready to make the one final strike to put the creature out of its misery and end the game. But a millisecond before she could hit the attack button, BeastBoy's character leaped over hers, blasting a clean hit to it's gut. The monster fell over, dissolving to ash before their eyes. Victorious trumpet music blared, as the sun shone brightly in the once dismal sky. A mob of cheering citizens appearing out of nowhere behind them, shouting their thanks and praises.

The high score list scrolled upwards, screening the top five scores. BeastBoy's name was engraved at the top, as Raven's was marked just below in the second place column. She had topped Cyborg's score, which definitely held some form of merit, but she still felt a bit… grumpy.

She didn't even want to play this game in the first place. She could've cared less whether she beat it or not. She thought of things so much worthy of her time than making the high score. So, how come she felt so… irritated?

"You cheated," she pointed accusingly at BeastBoy, trying not to sound bitter for him getting the final victory.

"Me? Cheated?" he said innocently, putting down the controller, "I just blasted him before you did."

Raven merely stared at him. She knew he'd simply beaten her to the punch, but she still felt deserving of the win, even if it was something as petty as a video game.

"THIS is cheating," BeastBoy demonstrated, leaning over and snatching the controller out of Raven's hands, uncaringly pressing buttons.

As the credits for the game rolled, the two characters still occupied the screen. Now under BeastBoy's control, Raven's character ran continuously headfirst into a wall.

"See? Now, if I had done THAT in the middle of the game, THAT would be cheating," he grinned, as Raven snatched the controller back from him.

"Oh, I see I was completely unfounded in accusing you of such a thing," she replied dryly, obviously sensing as though he'd done such things before.

"OH YEAH! UH HUH!" he sang, getting to his feet, doing a little dance in honor of Raven seemingly accepting his victory and withdrawing her accusation of cheating, "I WON! I'M BAD! YOU'RE GOOD! BUT I'M…!"

BeastBoy looked down at Raven blankly staring at him, quickly ceasing his victory song and dance.

He stiffly seated himself back on the couch. "I mean… um… alright then," he twirled a finger in the air to celebrate in a more quiet way, regaining some manner of composure, obviously not wishing to try Raven's patience as he had done before.

Raven tilted her head. She knew he was trying to refrain from aggravating her, but it seemed so artificial. Like he was trying too hard.

"What?" BeastBoy inquired, noticing the look on her face despite his now quiet behavior.

"Relax," she politely suggested, "It's not like you're going to set me off with the first loud thing you do. Just calm down."

"I-I… I am… I am calm," he responded nervously, tugging on his collar, taking the controller in his hand once more, "I'm just not tryin' to tweek ya, that's all."

"BeastBoy, whether you realize it or not, you 'tweek' me even more when you're trying to restrain yourself than when you're not trying at all," she explained.

BeastBoy didn't really follow her, but nodded anyway, reaching for his glass for a sip of cola. He grasped the cup, taking a loud glug, almost downing the entire cup. He took a small breath, feeling slightly more at ease, about to turn back to his game.

Just then, he could feel the bubbles from the soda moving up his stomach, past his throat.

"BURP!" BeastBoy erupted a massive belch from drinking so much so fast. The sudden burst caught him off guard, jolting his arm sternly to his side, spilling what remained of the soda on Raven.

She stiffened as the sugary liquid ran down her face, her eyes narrowed.

BeastBoy immediately dropped his controller, jumping back an inch or two, fearing for his life. Raven merely stared at the screen, her usual deadpan expression not revealing any sign of anger, but to BeastBoy, that was even scarier.

"Raven! I didn't… I wasn't… I… you…" BeastBoy's arms crossed every which way, trying to explain himself that it was an accident. "Lemme' get that for ya'," he offered, grabbing a handful of napkins.

He stood, moving forward to wipe the soda from Raven's face before it could drip down her neck. In the rush to get to her, he forgot about the controller, catching himself on the cord below his feet, falling forward, landing with his head planted on Raven's lap.

Raven looked down, a clear look of annoyance in her gaze. BeastBoy slowly met eyes with her, letting out a nervous laugh, handing her the napkins. She swiped them from his hand, wiping the soda from her face.

"What did I say about trying too hard?" she asked, almost menacingly.

"Uh…" he thought, distracted from the awkward position he was in, too fearful to move. "Don't do it?" he answered.

"Bingo," she said, staring down at him, discarding the damp napkins.

"Heh heh," he laughed nervously, "My bad. But… look at the bright side."

BeastBoy was trying in vein to repress his wild and peppy nature, had drenched her with soda, and was lying across her lap. What could possibly qualify as a bright side to that?

"At least things can't get any worse," he finished, offering a faint smile to assure her after everything that'd happened, nothing could make the situation worse than it already was.

Suddenly, the doors swished open as Robin, Cyborg, and Starfire walked in, coming to an abrupt halt just as the two turned their attention away from each other and towards their friends, who had obviously taken notice to their 'seating arrangement'.

Starfire stopped cold, her face, once confused, now brimming with a warm smile. No doubt wholesome and kind thoughts going through her head pertaining to what lay before her.

The boys on the other hand were straining to keep their quivering mouths from bursting into laughter, their mouths curling on both sides. They held their hands over their mouths, muffled giggles and chuckles leaking out. A poor gesture of self-control.

"Wrong, as usual," Raven said blankly, turning back to BeastBoy.

Robin and Cyborg gave in, bursting into laughter. Robin fell against the wall, unable to balance himself, the buckling of his knees too much for him to stand on from laughing so hard. Cyborg laughed beside him, holding his head with one hand.

Raven glared at them, her temperature rising. BeastBoy stared hatefully as well, but too embarrassed and mildly frightened to move.

But their stares went unnoticed from the two, blinded by their own tears from laughter. Robin was now down on one knee.

"Enough," Raven said bluntly.

Still, she went unnoticed by the two, drowned out by the volume of their laughter.

"BeastBoy… I… I," Robin huffed, still laughing himself into a fit, "I think you're taking this bet just a little bit too seriously." He continued laughing.

"I said that's enough," Raven repeated slightly louder, but still not acknowledged.

"Yeah! Besides," Cyborg cut in, "I think ya missed a spot!" Cyborg cracked up, intending to make notice of the spill, but finding it sound as though it took on another meaning.

"There is a spot on friend Raven?" Starfire gasped in concern, "BeastBoy, I shall aid you." Starfire flew over to the couch, landing beside Raven, laying her head on Raven's lap, mimicking BeastBoy's position. "Please, where is this offending spot of which they speak?" Starfire asked, looking over Raven more closely.

This served to further intensify the boys' already loud laughter.

"BeastBoy, please. We must find this spot of which they speak. Why do you merely lie still and unmoving?" Starfire asked, her concern growing. "And why are both of your faces red as Zorka berries?" she noticed the rush of color to their faces.

Raven could feel her blood begin to boil. BeastBoy on her lap, Cyborg and Robin getting entirely the wrong idea and finding it funny, not to mention ignoring her, plus Starfire beside her, looking for who knows what from Cyborg's remark.

"ENOUGH!" Raven shouted, a vein almost visible on her forehead, steam seemingly rising from her scalp dissolving what remained of the soda.

BeastBoy fell off her, onto the floor, startled. Starfire got to her feet as well, hovering low off the ground. Cyborg and Robin both cleared their throats, ceasing their outbreak of hilarity. The room was now dead silent.

Raven took a deep breath, calming herself as BeastBoy got up off the floor. Starfire looked curiously at the both of them, as Cyborg and Robin still occasionally smirked at one another, stifling a slight laugh briefly.

"Look, there is nothing to be seen here. BeastBoy spilled his drink on me," she began, as BeastBoy simply nodded in agreement, "As you might've expected," she got in a bit of her dry humor, causing BeastBoy's face to fall, "He tried to clean me up and tripped over his own two feet which left us in that precarious position you happened to find us in just before you came in."

She gave them a moment, allowing them to dwell on her explanation. She got to her feet, straightening her cloak, turning towards them, BeastBoy beside her.

"Well… I can certainly see how we… misinterpreted things," Robin said sincerely, Cyborg nodding as well. "We owe you an apology. We're sorry, Raven. You too, BeastBoy."

Raven closed her eyes, giving a nod, accepting their apology. BeastBoy sighed a bit in relief, worried how things might've escalated.

"Um… may I ask one question though?" Robin asked.

"Certainly. What is it?" she asked, as passive as before.

"Well, instead of setting up a tree this year for Christmas, any chance we could just have BeastBoy lie on top of you?" he cracked a mischievous smile, Cyborg stifling a laugh behind him.

Raven's eyes went wide, caught off guard, thinking the matter was closed. Her eyes reverted to a threatening stare, balling up her fist, blushing madly, infuriated that they were pressing this further.

"I mean, all that red and green was way brighter than any Christmas tree I've ever seen," he chuckled, making reference to BeastBoy's green skin a glow from blushing.

BeastBoy blushed, but gave an angry stare at his leader as well.

"Yeah, but wouldn't it be hard to get our presents under em'?" Cyborg added with a grin, making Robin laugh slightly harder.

Raven and BeastBoy shared a menacing glare at the two, speaking not a word.

"Yeah, but at least we wouldn't have to water them," Robin laughed.

"Depends. If they get too into it, we still might have to turn the hose on em'!" Cyborg corrected in a fit of laughter of his own.

Robin and Cyborg looked at one another before falling over in an uncontrolled fit of laughter once more, pounding the floor and kicking their feet in the air. Starfire was unaware of what they were talking about, but smiled tenderly at the sight of her friends in such a jovial mood.

Raven raised her fist, cocking it back as if ready to strike the both of them down with one blow. However as quickly as she had taken aim, she withdrew, pulling her fist down with her other hand to her side. The only thing that was keeping her from severing both their heads was the fact that she'd have to heal them afterwards.

Raven shifted her eyes to BeastBoy to see how he was handling this, which turned out to be not much better than she was. His eyes cast the most cold and unyielding anger she'd ever seen, aside from her own. The sides of his head began to sprout horns, his nose morphing to the nostrils of a bull, snorting smoke, seeming as though he was between changing forms.

She rested a hand on his shoulder, causing him to fully return to normal human form, looking at her. She seemed to signal through her eyes to let it go as she walked past him towards the door. BeastBoy followed close behind her, casting one final look of resentment behind him as he left.

As the door closed behind them, the two boys steadily calmed their laughter.

"Hey, you don't think maybe they took it kinda' personal, do ya?" Cyborg asked, rubbing his temple, a smile still gracing his face.

Robin regained his bearings. "I wouldn't worry. They'll realize it was all in good fun and get over it," he said, "Besides, BeastBoy lives for this kinda' thing. And Raven, she wouldn't give something as insignificant as this a second thought."

Raven slammed her hand against the wall in a fit of outrage. BeastBoy stood beside her, watching as she turned to face him.

"Couldn't get any worse, huh?" she said, still upset, but forcing herself to calm down, as reflected by her eyes.

"Oh, it's gonna' get worse alright," BeastBoy started, "For them!"

Raven analyzed the green boy's face, as the angry expression seemed to twist into the shape of a somewhat evil grin, rubbing his hands to together. A sign of plotting and scheming if ever she saw one. Raven was fairly familiar with this look. It was the look he got whenever he was about to hatch one of his mundane and childish pranks.

"Please don't tell me you're contemplating one of your ridiculous pranks," she said grimly.

"Okay. I won't tell ya'," he smiled.

Raven shook her head. "BeastBoy, revenge is a pointless and petty impulse. It can only lead to nothing but trouble, and we have enough to deal with as it is," she lectured.

BeastBoy looked at her, unconvinced. Raven, however, remained firm on her words. He glanced down the hall, perking up his ears at a distant sound. Realizing what he heard, he placed a hand atop Raven's head, turning her with her ear adjacent to the sound of what she was able to perceive as distant laughter. It sounded as though Robin and Cyborg were at it again.

Her face shriveled in irritation, turning back to BeastBoy. "I'm in," she said firmly.

**Next Chapter:** It seems that Raven is beginning to get the hang of BeastBoy's daily activities, making the bet just a little bit more bearable. But, will BeastBoy have the same luck when he participates in Raven's routines? And what sort of payback is in store for Cyborg and Robin?


	8. A Better Prank, A Better Tomorrow

**Note from the Author:** I just wanted to take this opportunity to make a few brief statements before getting underway with the story. First and foremost, I want to thank all the readers and reviewers out there who've helped to make this story such a wonderful project to work on. I never dreamed this story would become as popular as it has. Imagine my surprise (and somewhat shock) to find that these first seven chapters have received more reviews than most stories with 20 or more chapters.

Secondly, I would like to apologize for the lateness of my recent submission. I have recently started a second job, and as a result, my spare time has been cut in half. I will still continue to work diligently to keep chapters coming at a reasonable time, but it may be difficult depending on the flow of things. So, I humbly ask for your patience and understanding.

Bowing in appreciation and respect

- BlueTitan

**Quality Time**

**Chapter 8: A Better Prank, A Better Tomorrow**

It was late at night as BeastBoy skulked down the hallway, making his way to Raven's room. They had agreed to retire to their rooms earlier in the evening, and to meet up shortly after everyone had gone to sleep. BeastBoy was all smiles in anticipation, hardly able to contain himself as he tiptoed down the corridor. First, he'd managed to play a video game with Raven, and now, he was actually going to pull a prank with her. The bet was beginning to show promise.

BeastBoy sidestepped with his back against the wall, as if imitating something out of a spy movie, drawing ever closer to Raven's door. He came to a halt just beside the doorframe, looking both ways down the ends of the hall, making certain no one else was around and that he'd remained unseen and unheard. Satisfied that he appeared to have kept from alarming any of the others, he turned to face the door.

He gently knocked on the door. "Raven," he called very quietly.

He waited a few seconds, but received no answer.

He turned his head quickly, double-checking the hallway again, making sure the coast was clear. "Raven," he called slightly louder, knocking again.

Still, no response.

BeastBoy raised his arm to knock again, turning his head away from the door, scanning the dark hallway for any signs of movement.

Just as his knuckles were less than an inch away from the door, it quietly slid open, revealing Raven, somewhat drowsy, but becoming more awake as BeastBoy was now knocking on her forehead. Alarmed by the sudden change of percussion in his knocks, he turned back to the now open doorway, finding his knuckles resting just above Raven's temple.

Raven gave him a dead stare as he quickly pulled away his hand, hiding it behind his back with a nervous laugh. "Heh, um… sorry," he whispered.

Raven gave no verbal acknowledgement, merely massaging her forehead slightly.

"So…. " BeastBoy began, anxious to get underway, "Ready for a night of study in the BeastBoy School of Prankdom?" He wiggled his eyebrows, offering a grin.

"Depends. Who's the instructor?" she asked, pretending to care.

"You're lookin' at him," he beamed, "Teacher, founder, and master of all things funny."

Raven rolled her eyes. "This has got to be the first school where the student has surpassed the teacher on such a grand scale, before the lesson, and only after meeting him," she said dryly.

BeastBoy frowned, slumping in his posture. "Ha ha, very funny," he responded. "So, ya think everybody's asleep?" he asked, perking back up.

"I know I would be," she responded, hardly eager.

"Aw, c'mon, Raven. You could at least pretend to be into this a little," he suggested, "I thought you were all for the whole payback idea?"

"That was when I was awake," she stifled a yawn, "And still in my body."

"Look, we pull a prank here and there, mentally scar some of our choice friends for life, and then we hit the hay. What could be simpler?" he smiled mischievously.

"You'd certainly know better than I would, BeastBoy. You have a degree in simple," she added.

Again, BeastBoy gave a mild frown, but gestured her to follow him anyway. The two made their way down the hall, BeastBoy leading in front.

"Ok, I figure since old chrome dome got a kick outta' teasin' us the most, he should be the first to get what's comin' to him," BeastBoy explained as they made their way towards Cyborg's room.

"Uh, BeastBoy," Raven called to him.

"Now, I know we're in this together. So, I say we split the glory," he continued, so wrapped up in the task at hand he seemed to completely tune Raven out.

"BeastBoy," she repeated.

"You take Robin, and I'll teach that over grown refrigerator magnet a thing or two," he grinded his fist into his palm with a smile. "Of course, I'll go first. Ya know, to give ya some pointers."

Raven stopped him, grabbing a hold of his shoulder. "BeastBoy, maybe we should just forget the whole thing," she suggested passively.

"Say what?" BeastBoy asked, turning around to face her.

Raven sighed, "Let's just forget about it. What's done is done. Playing a prank on them isn't going to solve anything."

"Oh, come on! You can't be serious," he managed as quietly as possible, so as not to wake anyone up.

Raven merely stared at the green boy.

"O… k, you are serious," he interpreted her blank expression, "But are you gonna' tell me you wanna' just let them get away with it? What happened to bein' on the war path this afternoon and bein' all for givin' them a taste of their own medicine?"

"That's just it. That was then, this is now," she reasoned, "I do not condone what they did, but can you honestly say you wouldn't have reacted the same way?"

BeastBoy shifted his eyes to the side, taking a moment to consider her words. "Well… I guess. But…"

"You would've cracked the same jokes and laughed all the same," she scolded.

"Maybe. But…" he tried to cut in.

"And by this time tomorrow, I'm sure they'll have forgotten all about it," she concluded.

BeastBoy gave her an unconvinced look.

"Very well," she realized she was talking about Cyborg and Robin, "By this time 'next year', they'll have forgotten all about it."

That sounded more accurate to BeastBoy, knowing how the two of them, especially Cyborg, would never be one to let someone live down a moment like that.

"Anyway, the point is, taking this situation any further than its already gone is pointless," she folded her arms, "The smart thing to do would be to accept it, deal with it, and move on."

BeastBoy looked at her, giving serious consideration to her outlook on the situation. This was the kind of logic BeastBoy hated most. The kind that made sense.

He couldn't deny that she had a point. Of course, he wouldn't be the kind to admit it, at least not out loud. Pranking Cyborg and Robin would only add one more complication to their already awkward arrangement, but he still wanted to get even. Backing down from the prank would be a tough loss to deal with. He'd feel like he was losing to Cyborg, losing to Robin, losing to Raven and her logic, and even losing to himself. Taking logic over impulse would go against his very nature. He hadn't thought before he acted in the past, so why start now?

BeastBoy could feel the prank and its glory slowly slipping away from him. If he was going to pull it off, tonight, and with Raven, he was going to have to convince her. He was going to have to do something drastic. Something he'd never once resorted to. He was going to have to think.

"_Come on! Gotta' think here,"_ he spoke in his mind. _"I gotta get Raven to go along with this, but how?"_

"_How… how… how…"_ his last words echoed through the void of his head.

"_Hey, cool! Just like the Grand Canyon. I can hear my own echo,"_ he thought, picking up on his own words repeating themselves.

_"Echo… echo… echo…"_

Having not used the rational process of thought for so long, there was apparently enough space for his mental words to travel.

"_Ugh!"_ he shook his head, shaking off the childish distraction of his own words repeating themselves, _"Come on! Stay focused here!"_ he mentally disciplined himself. _"What would Raven do?"_

A mental picture appeared in his mind of himself, but wearing Raven's cloak. _"All things are pointless, blah-blah-blah,"_ he mimicked in thought, impersonating Raven and her unfeeling tone, _"Jokes are stupid, blah-blah-blah. If I smile I might crack my face, blah-blah-blah."_

Obviously, his mind was taking the impersonation a bit far, but to him, it was a somewhat believable resemblance.

"_Argh! This gettin' me nowhere!"_ his mind bellowed, finding the impersonation to do anything but promote ideas, _"I gotta' think of something, and fast."_

BeastBoy rolled back his sleeve, sneaking a peek down at his watch. It was now exactly two minutes past midnight. Technically, his day was over, and Raven's had begun. Surely if he pressed the matter further, Raven would be keenly aware of that fact. No matter how tempting he could make it sound, no matter how pathetic a job of pleading he could muster, he knew that would be the clincher.

Logic would serve him no use here. And to think he'd warmed up his brain for nothing. Then again, maybe he could still turn the situation in his favor, but it would take a little bit of luck. On second thought, seeing as how it was BeastBoy trying to convince Raven, it'd probably take a LOT of luck. He just had to use a little persuasion and just a touch of reverse psychology. Not something BeastBoy would've picked up on his own, but when you're swayed and conned after so long by a half man-half computer and a crime fighting detective, you start to pick up a few things.

"Ya know what? You're right, Raven," he said with a sincere smile.

"I know how much you probably had your heart set on that ridiculous…" Raven stopped as BeastBoy's statement clicked in her brain. "Wait. What did you say?" Her eyebrow raised, clearly perplexed he'd given up on the prank so easily.

"I said, you're right," he repeated, "I mean, it's gettin' late. You're obviously beat, and it is past midnight, so we are on YOUR time."

Raven cocked her head to the side, still finding it hard to believe he'd give up so easily, and on a prank of all things.

"C'mon, I'll walk ya back to your room," he offered, allowing her to lead the way.

With some reluctance, Raven took lead, walking ahead of him back to her room. The distance was short and silent as they walked back. BeastBoy spoke not one word. She was certain he would've made at least one attempt, two at most, to try to get her to change her mind. She shifted her pupils to the side, trying to catch a glimpse of him as they walked, but without giving away her curiosity by turning her head. She continued to move, though her eyes kept shifting impatiently.

Before long, they had arrived at Raven's door, but by now, the absence of BeastBoy's usual begging and pleading still had her mildly concerned. BeastBoy would never be one to be nonchalant where pranks were concerned. She began to ponder if he'd perhaps gone back to that overly quiet persona like before, choosing to act more like her in regards to her refusing the prank.

Raven opened the door, about to step inside, but turned to face BeastBoy. "Thank you… for being understanding," she said in a dull state, masking her curiosity. She analyzed his facial expression, but found no change from before. Then again, she hadn't noticed the change immediately last time either.

"Nah, it's cool," he smiled, waving his hand, gesturing her to think nothing of it.

"Perhaps," she started, shifting her head slightly, "Some… other time."

"Yeah, sure," he responded.

Raven continued to look for any sign to confirm or dismiss her suspicion of him altering his personality like before. Much to her relief, she found none. His eyes still seemed to sparkle with that same energetic spirit. His smile had not deserted him once, and gave no indication of it being forced or fake. He was still his old self. This, of course, brought a great measure of relief. A surprise he still hadn't bartered over the prank, but still a relief.

"I… must say, BeastBoy. I'm impressed," she said calmly.

BeastBoy's smile faltered slightly, giving way to a curious look.

"I know how much those petty gags of yours mean to you," she started, leaning against the door frame, "To be honest, I'm rather surprised you'd be willing to merely forgo them without a second thought."

BeastBoy shrugged. "Ah, it's no big deal. Pranks come, pranks go. I'll get'em some other time."

"Well… I'm still impressed. It's uncharacteristically mature of you to put if off, for my sake or otherwise," she turned, stepping inside.

"Impressed? Me?" he asked as she entered her room, closing the door behind her, "I'm more impressed with you."

BeastBoy turned, beginning to walk back to his room. No more than having taken two steps, had Raven's door opened as quickly as it had been closed.

"Uh, BeastBoy?" she asked, poking her head out into the hall, "Just what did you mean by that last remark?"

"Hmm?" he turned casually.

"You said you were more impressed with me. Why?" she asked, stepping out into the hall.

"Oh," he started, scratching the back of his head, looking up at the ceiling, "Just that… ya know… you don't lower yourself to pranks and stuff like that. You don't stoop to other people's levels."

BeastBoy turned, walking further down the hallway. "No matter what," he added.

Raven stared at him walking away as the gears in her mind turned, trying to comprehend what he meant by that.

BeastBoy rounded the corner, only to bump into Raven, who had dematerialized through the wall and appeared right in front of him in the blink of an eye. Apparently, BeastBoy had managed to peek her curiosity.

"Again, what's that supposed to mean?" she asked more sternly, crossing her arms.

"Uh… nothing," he said, trying to keep her calm, "I'm… just saying how you don't get caught up in the moment and try to get even with people and stuff, like me."

Raven gave him an impatient stare. She could tell there was something he was leaving out.

"I mean… you always look the other way, and don't take stuff personally. You know it's all in good fun," he listed.

"WHAT is all in good fun?" she asked, narrowing her eyes.

"U-um…" he stalled, rubbing his forearm and grinding his foot into floor.

"You know something, BeastBoy. As hard as that is to believe," she said. "Now, WHAT are you talking about?" she asked, her patience thinning.

"Well…" he scratched the back of his head, "Ya remember last April Fools Day?"

Raven's eyes gave a dull, half asleep gaze. "How could I forget? That's when you're at your loudest, and your pranks are at their stupidest." Raven thought for a moment. "Wait. What does last April Fools Day have to do with anything?"

"Everything," he said. BeastBoy paused a moment. "Okay, look. I know I normally prank Cy and Robin regularly, but I was hopin' for a little something more 'drastic' this time around. And, I figured it'd only be fair to get you in on it."

"Me? Why would I want any part of this?" Raven gave a confounded look, "And what's so special about this one?"

"I owe them… BIG!" he muttered.

She took a moment to assess his annoyed response. "What on Earth could they have possibly done, prank or otherwise, to get you so riled up?"

BeastBoy narrowed his eyes at the wall. "I was on the receiving end of THEIR punishment," he folded his arms, looking away.

"Punishment? What punishment?" she queried.

"Bein' launched out the window and sent to the bottom of the ocean. Ring any bells?" he asked.

"Hmph!" Raven murmured, turning her back to him, "You deserved it." Raven had been the target of numerous practical jokes that day. Not the most vicious punishment she'd ever dealt the young changeling, but enough to make him think twice about doing it again. "Especially considering all the…" she stopped, "Wait. You're not implying that…"

BeastBoy nodded.

"Are you trying to say…" she asked.

BeastBoy was silent, shifting his eyes to the side.

"You mean… it wasn't you? You didn't pulls those pranks?" she turned back to face him.

"No," he said bluntly. "Well… not most of them anyway."

"Then…" Raven contemplated his early remarks, "You mean to say… that they… and it was all… and you…" her fingers pointed to and fro.

Raven pieced together her thoughts. Was he actually saying that Robin and Cyborg had been the mad jokers who'd driven her crazy that whole day, and she punished BeastBoy out of reflex for something he didn't even do?

Raven looked at him curiously. "The Tabasco sauce in my herbal tea?" she questioned.

"Why else would Cy offer to make your tea ahead of breakfast?" he hinted.

"The dead fish rolled in my cloak?" she asked, a trifle more annoyed.

"Didn't you think it was taking Robin just a bit longer than usual to come to breakfast?" he offered.

Raven's stare hardened. "The smiley face painted on my chakra?"

BeastBoy opened his mouth to speak, but dawned a puzzled look instead. "Ya know, come to think of it, I don't even wanna' think about how they pulled that one off."

Raven fumed, no doubt upset being made a fool of and never being wise to it. "WHY THOSE NO GOOD! UNDERHANDED! SCHEMING! LITTLE…" she ranted quietly, doing her best to keep her powers in check.

BeastBoy simply watched, slightly amused. It wasn't often he'd seen Raven blow her stack at someone other than him.

"Hold it," she froze, regaining her state of calm, "Why didn't you just tell me it wasn't you?"

"I tried," he said, "Believe me, I tried. Do you know how hard it is to try to explain yourself when you've got about ten gallons of ocean water and seaweed lodged in your mouth, throat, and stomach?" BeastBoy recalled the nauseous and queasy feeling that accompanied him after crawling back on shore from being ejected from the tower by way of Raven's powers and knocking small fish out of his ears.

"What about afterwards? Why not tell me then?" she asked reasonably.

"Well, see, after I managed to get back inside and get the nasty taste of salt water and sea weed outta' my mouth, I crashed. When I woke up afterwards, I… must've forgotten all about it," he explained shyly, a bit embarrassed it'd slipped his mind until now.

"And, let me guess. When Cyborg and Robin made their snide remarks earlier, it all just seemed to come 'rushing' back, right?" she said, still amazed how his short attention span and inferior mind could've blocked out something of that nature for so long.

BeastBoy gave a nervous chuckle.

"_I can't believe this!"_ she screamed in her head, turning away from BeastBoy. _"The both of them, pulling those unnerving pranks, on ME? And I never even suspected!"_ Raven silently cracked her knuckles, gritting her teeth, impure and rather violent thoughts going through her head.

"Anyways," BeastBoy said, breaking her train of thought, "I just wanted you to know how much I admire you not sinkin' to their level. And don't worry, I'll get'em some other time." BeastBoy turned, heading back down the hall to his room. "So, I guess I'll see ya tomorrow…"

BeastBoy's goodnight sentiment was cut short as Raven grabbed him by the wrist, pulling him back the way they'd come, heading for Cyborg's room. "Let's… GO," she said coldly, a sinister look in her eye.

BeastBoy continued to be dragged by Raven's sudden fierce increase of strength, his feet dragging along the floor. He couldn't break free even if he wanted to. "Whatever you say, Raven," he smirked, "Whatever you say."

BeastBoy's plan had worked. Raven was now going to prank the others at his side.

"_She just needed the right motivation,"_ he grinned mentally.

Cyborg slumbered peacefully. At least, as peaceful as a cybernetic being that snored like a rusty chainsaw could. Lying on the long metal platform adjacent to his system's recharger and offline, he slept soundly.

A shadow appeared over him. BeastBoy's hand waved in front of him, snapping his fingers repeatedly, testing to see if Cyborg's sensors were truly off and he was indeed asleep. "That's what I love about Cy," he grinned, receiving no response, giving a mischievous look to Raven beside him, "Ya plug him in for the night, and he's an easy target."

Raven looked on as BeastBoy relaxed, believing nothing could awaken their sleeping friend. "So, now what?" she tapped her fingers against the wall.

"Oh, what to do, what to do," he smiled, opening the floodgates of gags and pranks in his mind to find a prank fitting of the metal man before him. "Sit back, Rae, and learn from the master," he cracked his knuckles.

Raven rolled her eyes.

"Let's see," he started, "We could put really powerful refrigerator magnets on his back that spell out 'KICK ME'."

"Oh, that's rich," she said, lacking any genuine amusement, "Except for the fact that you, me, and Robin would probably shatter every bone in our feet from trying to kick someone who's backside is made of reinforced steel."

"There's still Starfire," he reminded her, with a glimmer of hope, only now realizing the flaw in his plan.

"Sure. Baring the two possible outcomes of her either shattering his lower regions or putting him into orbit," she promptly replied, dashing the suggestion.

"Well… we could always attach a satellite dish to him and get free cable if she does," he smiled sheepishly, knowing she'd proven her point.

Raven simply shook her head.

"Yeah, you're right. A little much," he conceded. His eyes went wide, perking up as another idea formed in his mind. "We could always attach wheels to him and enter him in a soap box derby," he waggled his eyebrows, "Think of it as giving back to the community."

"Oh, yeah. A two ton metal man on wheels, careening wildly down a steep hill," she said sarcastically, "That'll end well."

"Kinda' stressin' the whole property damage thing, huh?" he said, hanging his head.

"You think?" Raven said, thinking it was obvious.

BeastBoy shrugged, giving a weak chuckle. "Well, none of that stuff matters anyway. Cause I already picked something totally fitting for old lead head, and it's already set and rarin' to go," he grinned with an enthusiastic thumbs up.

"And you bothered to offer up those pointless suggestions, because?" Raven asked vacantly.

"Sort of… caught up in the moment I guess. Showing off, ya know?" he scratched the back of his head.

"Just so you know, it's technically not showing off unless whatever you're trying to dazzle someone with actually surpasses ordinary standards," she said in her blank state.

"Um… Meaning?" he responded, surprisingly not able to follow.

"Never mind," she sighed, shaking her head. There was no point in droning on about how, despite his creative and imaginative suggestions, they were all flawed and not thoroughly thought out.

BeastBoy shrugged off Raven's words, placing an envelope beside a small counter top beside Cyborg's still lifeless form.

"Okay," he smirked, gesturing for them to leave, "I got mine. Now, let's go get yours."

BeastBoy moved past Raven, heading for the door.

"That's it?" she said, mildly surprised.

"That's it," he nodded.

Raven glanced from BeastBoy, to the envelope, and back again to BeastBoy. "I hardly see how delivering his mail is considered a prank." She said, making her way towards the door, nowhere near impressed.

"Well… I was planning on waiting til' morning for you to find out, along with bolts for brains over there. But…" he paused, finding the temptation of bragging too great, "If ya really wanna' know…"

BeastBoy leaned in, whispering the intricacies of his plan into Raven's ear. As his plan was unfolded to her, Raven's expression slowly changed, from a total blank to a wide-eyed stare. As the final words escaped from his lips, Raven pulled a step back, taking one last quick look at the envelope.

"You're a twisted and vicious human being," she said dryly, looking back at him as they casually left the room.

"That's the nicest thing you've ever said to me," he smiled.

The two made their way down the hall towards the next person/victim's room.

"So, what do ya think of the BeastBoy School of Prankdom now?" he smirked, looking ahead down the hall.

"Not bad, professor," Raven remarked, closing her eyes, humoring him, "If you pride yourself on mere trickery and manipulation."

"Is that the sound of, 'I'm sorry I doubted you' I hear?" he perked up his ears, grinning ear to ear.

Raven gave him her usual empty look, far from impressed.

"Or you think, just maybe, you can do better?" he smiled, almost challenging her.

Raven continued down the hall, moving just slightly ahead of BeastBoy. "You have no idea what I'm capable of."

BeastBoy came to a momentary halt, slightly surprised by her response, taking in her words, watching her walk in front of him. She sounded so sure of herself, so calm, so focused. Was it possible she was taking this every bit as serious as he was?

"This is gonna' be good," he whispered to himself, gleefully running after her to catch up.

The door opened quietly as BeastBoy peered inside, finding Robin sound asleep. Signaling to Raven, the two crept to his bedside, more cautious than with Cyborg. After all, unlike their previous target, Robin didn't have an off switch, at least not one that they were aware of. Robin's senses were sharpened by past experiences, making him a light sleeper. He would surely be alerted by any sound above a whisper, making the two Titan's task far more difficult.

"Okay, Raven," BeastBoy whispered with a smirk, standing on one side of the slumbering boy, Raven on the other, "You're up."

Raven nodded, closing her eyes. Placing one hand on her forehead and waving the other above Robin's motionless form, she began to quietly chant. "Azerath Metrion Zinthos."

Robin's body became encased in a black aura, lifting him a few inches above his bed where he hung, levitating in the air.

"Now," she started, her voice returning to regular volume, "We can proce-mmph!"

BeastBoy clamped his hand over Raven's mouth, startled by her sudden carelessness to speak at normal volume, hoping to silence her before it triggered Robin's awakening. "SHHH!" he placed a finger to his lips, trying to remind her of their situation, "Are you TRYING to get us busted?" he frantically whispered.

Raven removed his hand from her mouth. "Relax," she said in a dull tone, "He's in a trance. A mere precaution, just in case. All his senses are temporarily at a standstill."

"A wha?" BeastBoy asked, perplexed.

"He's in a temporary state of mental numbness. You know, like the way you are, with the exception that yours is permanent?" she cracked. "All his senses have been temporarily muted."

"Uh…" BeastBoy scratched his head, "Meaning?"

"Meaning…" she began.

Raven struck Robin firmly with an open palmed slap across the face.

"EEK!" BeastBoy yelped, covering his eyes in fear they'd be caught.

Robin remained motionless, breathing normally, not even stirring. BeastBoy peeked between his fingers, finding Robin still asleep, slowly lowering his hands from his face.

"…He's dead to the world." Raven concluded.

A moment passed as the outcome finally registered in BeastBoy's mind. "Sweet!" he beamed, speaking at normal volume, making faces at their leader.

"Don't get too carried away," Raven said, bringing him back to reality.

BeastBoy ceased his face making, turning his attention to Raven. "Okay. So… what now? What have ya got in store for him? NO! WAIT! Lemme' guess."

Raven kneeled down, opening a small rift in the floor. Reaching into it, she pulled out a small sack, which had previously been stored in her room for just such an occasion. Upon removing the item, the rift receded from whence it came.

"You're gonna… flip his whole room upside down and let him wake up on the ceiling, right?" BeastBoy guessed with a grin.

Raven, not even bothering to point out the strain from her powers that suggestion would create, merely opened the sack, verifying its contents.

"Oh, wait! I got it! You're gonna' create this giant cake," he stretched his arms in exaggeration, "And as soon as he wakes up? BAM! This dummy dressed up like Slade pops out."

Raven looked at him questionably. Apparently, BeastBoy had no distinction between a prank, a joke, and something to launch someone into a psychotic episode.

"No! Even better. We leave him a little companion to help him sleep better. Like… say… a teddy bear?" he smirked, morphing into a ferocious looking grizzly bear.

"Actually, you're not very far off," Raven said, turning her attention back to him.

BeastBoy paused. "I am?"

Raven tossed the contents of the sack at BeastBoy. "Help me get this on him," she said.

Catching the item, BeastBoy unfolded what appeared to be an article of clothing. Looking at the strange outfit in his hands, he looked curiously at Raven. "What's this?" he asked.

Raven discarded the sack. "Phase One," she answered simply.

It took only a matter of minutes for them to slip the outfit over Robin's uniform. It would've taken less time if BeastBoy hadn't stopped every so often to hold in a chuckle or two. The two took a step back, BeastBoy admiring Raven's handy work.

"I would KILL for a disposable camera right about now," he grinned, holding back a laugh.

"It's not over yet," Raven interrupted, waving her hand, starting to levitate Robin out of his room, "On to Phase Two."

Raven and BeastBoy moved silently down the corridor, coming to a stop just outside another door down the hall. Raven entered the room, guiding Robin's lifeless body with her powers shortly behind her. BeastBoy remained out in the hall, standing watch. A short while later, the door opened as Raven emerged.

"Well?" BeastBoy asked hopefully.

Raven gestured him to see for himself, holding the door open just enough for him to peer inside. Beastboy fell over, both hands over his mouth, trying desperately to hold in the over powering urge to laugh his head off.

"Easy, BeastBoy," Raven said, still in a blank state, "There'll be plenty of room for that in the morning." Raven gave a small yawn, signaling the night had lasted as far as it was going to for her. "Right now, I think we should get some sleep."

The two started back down the hall.

"I'll try," he shrugged, "But, it's not gonna be easy," he grinned, a chuckle leaking out.

Morning time came, as the two sat opposite of one another at the table. Raven, lightly sipping a cup of herbal tea, and BeastBoy managing to slowly consume a bowl of cereal in between rubbing his eyes. Barely awake, it was obvious sleep had not come easy to him. Not to mention the fact that waking up early didn't help much either.

Raven cracked an eye, all too aware of this, taking another sip of her tea. "Maybe you should go back to bed," she politely offered.

BeastBoy's eyes suddenly opened wide, as if he were sitting on a pile of hot coals, attempting to give the impression that he was fully awake. "Are you nuts?" he shouted, "No way I'm missin' this."

"BeastBoy, who are you trying to kid? You're practically asleep on your feet," she said, paying him little mind.

"Oh yeah? Well, what about you?" he retorted, "You were up just as late. Why don't you go catch some Zs?"

"Unlike you, my body isn't in such a lazy state that it requires fourteen hours of sleep a day. You'd be surprised how little sleep you require when your mind isn't slowly eaten away by video games and…"

Raven gave a clearly audible yawn, much to BeastBoy's satisfaction. Raven looked away, hoping he wouldn't make it an issue. Another hope dashed.

"Uh, what was that?" BeastBoy grinned.

"Not a word," she warned.

"Word about what?" he teased, "That YOU'RE every bit as tired as I am?"

Raven glared at him.

"You just can't stand to admit that you're every bit as normal as I am," he said proudly.

"The word 'normal' must've taken on a more broad meaning since last I checked," she said dryly, working in her usual remarks.

"Aww, come on! You're tired, and you know it. Just admit it," he said.

"I admit nothing," Raven responded, turning her attention back to her tea.

"Oh, really?" he smirked, "I betcha' if I said 'sleep' three times, you'd be out like a light, and I'd have to stop you from passing out and drowning in your tea."

"Subliminal suggestion? You must be joking," she scoffed. "Only the weak minded succumb to such simple psychological methods."

BeastBoy smiled, interpreting her statement as, "You're on."

"Sleep," he said plainly, looking her dead in the eyes.

Raven locked eyes, her vision not even faltering.

"Sleep," BeastBoy repeated, more dreamily in a dazed tone, trying to make the prospect of rest even more tempting.

Raven's eyelids started to weigh heavily, drooping slightly, but still not breaking line of sight with BeastBoy. The word started to spread a hazy feeling in her mind. Sure, she'd agreed to go along with the prank of her own accord and had given up a portion of the night to do so, but now? Sleep didn't sound like such a bad thing.

"Sleep," BeastBoy said, wiggling his fingers like a magician, expecting her to conk out right in front of him.

BeastBoy and Raven stared at one another a full minute. BeastBoy looked on, confident that any second she'd collapse into slumber. He watched for any sign of fatigue, leaning forward to the edge of the table.

SPLASH!

BeastBoy's head dropped like a rock into his cereal, fast asleep, small traces of air bubbles gurgling from the surface of the soymilk.

Raven took another sip of tea. "Like I said, only the weak minded."

Raven placed her empty cup on the table, taking another look at BeastBoy's head, still submerged in his own breakfast. Letting out a small sigh, she turned BeastBoy's head just enough for him to breath above the surface of the milk. She certainly wouldn't be able to claim her prize if he drowned.

Just then, Cyborg entered the kitchen.

"Morning," he offered genuinely high-spirited.

"Cyborg," she nodded, accepting his greeting.

A faint snore came from BeastBoy's mouth, as if greeting him in his sleep.

Cyborg came to a stop beside his green friend, chuckling at the sight before him. "Uh… shouldn't we wake him?"

"What for?" Raven answered, "This is the most I've enjoyed his company," she smirked.

Cyborg gave a small laugh. "Sorry to ruin it for ya, Rae. But, I got a little matter to discuss with sleeping beauty here." Leaning over, he shook BeastBoy's shoulder. "Hey, BB. Wakey wakey."

BeastBoy continued to doze in his bowl.

"C'mon! Rise and shine," he shook harder.

Still, no effect.

Grabbing hold of the end of one of BeastBoy's pointy ears, he lifted the ear just enough to have a clear vocal range of his eardrum. "BEASTBOY! WAKE UP!" he bellowed.

The result was the same. BeastBoy continued to sleep soundly.

"Give it a rest, Cyborg," Raven said rationally, holding her head in an attempt to stop the ringing in her ears from Cyborg's yell. "He's too far gone."

"We'll just see about that," he smiled.

Walking over to the stove, Cyborg removed a frying pan and placed it on the burner of the stove. Twisting a knob on the counter top, a low heat lit under the pan as Cyborg held a piece of bacon above it. He released the bacon, letting it fall onto the surface of the pan.

No sooner had the bacon begun to sizzle, BeastBoy's eyes shot open. "MURDERER!" he shouted, sitting straight up, pointing a finger as milk dripped down his pours.

Cyborg turned to Raven. "Works every time."

Raven rolled her eyes. Not the type of display to inspire maturity in people.

BeastBoy rubbed the sleep from his eyes. "Cy, gimme a break," he said lazily, "Can't ya see I'm tired?"

"And why would that be?" he asked, pretending to not know, scratching his head, "Oh yeah! Cause you were too busy making a late night mail run." Cyborg grinned, holding up the envelope BeastBoy had deposited in his room.

BeastBoy just looked at him lazily.

"C'mon, B. Did you really think I'd fall for such an obvious forgery?" he scolded with a smile. "How could you even think I'd buy into this? I mean, it's obviously your handwriting."

BeastBoy yawned, still giving him hardly any mind.

"And trying to pass off a love letter of all things," he laughed, "Did you really think I'd believe that a girl actually sent this?" He unfolded the letter, reading off a few choice excerpts:

I wait for you, I long for you,

You're the only thing worth living for.

I cherish you, I treasure you,

A love that grows more and more.

BeastBoy rested his head against his folded arms on the table, his eyes half open, smiling contently at his handy work. Raven was in a state of disbelief. BeastBoy had actually written THAT? It was kind of touching, bordering on sentimental. It even rhymed. Raven pretended not to care, but listened intently.

Cyborg read on:

You seem so very close,

But at the same time so far apart,

And not a day goes by, to say I'm not shy,

To give you all my heart.

Cyborg chuckled, pretending to wipe a tear from his eye. "Oh, BeastBoy," he laughed, "If only I'd known." Cyborg held his side cracking up with laughter. "C'mon, man! I thought you were better than this. You honestly call THIS a prank? I can spot a forgery like this a mile away," he boasted.

BeastBoy smiled, half asleep. "Oh, I know you could," he started, "but I don't know about her."

Cyborg stopped cold. "Say what?"

"Hey, Raven? Any idea when they pick up the mail?" he asked, opening his eyes slightly, looking up to face her.

Raven glanced over at the clock hanging by the wall. "The last pickup was around… three o'clock yesterday afternoon," she answered.

"So… she should be gettin' that 'obvious forgery' in less than a few hours," he smirked, laying his head back down.

Cyborg yanked him up out of the chair, holding him by his shoulders. "You didn't!" he shouted pleadingly, hoping it was all just an empty threat. "Tell me it's a joke. Yeah, this is all a joke, right? Ha Ha Haha! Ya got me B. Boy, you really know how to play one off," he laughed nervously. If it was possible for a half machine to sweat, Cyborg was the first.

BeastBoy's smile remained in tact.

"Come on, man! Tell me it's all a gag! A joke! A fib!" he shook the young boy in a desperate plea.

By now, even Raven was giving a curious look. BeastBoy had only discussed the high points of his prank. He hadn't gone into the precise details.

"BeastBoy?" he questioned, a nervous laugh hardly audible, "Buddy?"

"Your first date's in six months… with good behavior," he smiled mischievously.

Cyborg froze in fear, dropping BeastBoy with a thud back into his chair. All thoughts in his cybernetic mind ceased, save for one. The image of the letter falling into the hands of its intended recipient. His human cheek bearing a blush, and the metallic region of his face rising in heat level, he turned, bolting at top speed for the door. He had to find and intercept that letter before it reached its destination, even if he had to ransack the post office and stop every mail truck in the tri-state area. He skidded to a halt just as the automatic door opened, turning back, giving BeastBoy the most disgruntled look he could muster.

"You know how bad I'm gonna' get you for this, right?" he said bitterly, his eyes narrowed in a cold stare.

BeastBoy leaned his head against one hand, responding with a smile. "Is that before, or after the wedding?" he chuckled.

Cyborg gritted his teeth, ignoring him, running out the door.

BeastBoy laid his head back down on the table, a satisfied and almost smug look triumph on his face. Raven looked down at him with a mild look of surprise. She didn't know what was more astonishing. That he'd successfully pranked Cyborg, mastermind of pranks and trickery, or that he'd actually written something as poetic as what Cyborg read from the letter?

BeastBoy crooked his head, curious as to Raven's silence. "Well?" he asked.

"Well, what?" she asked, her train of thought broken.

"What'd ya think?" he asked, flashing a hopeful yet tired smile.

Raven paused, shifting her eyes to the side. "Not bad," she said dryly, "But, what if he finds letter before it gets to… you know who?"

"He won't," he answered.

"And what makes you so sure of that?" she folded her arms.

"Because I never sent it," he announced proudly.

Raven raised an eyebrow. "You mean?"

"I only told him I sent another copy of the letter," he chuckled.

"So… in other words, you sent him on a wild goose chase…." she said.

BeastBoy quickly morphed into a goose, giving a loud honk, then morphing back with a grin. "Yup. But, I'm sure he'll figure that out… eventually."

"How do you mean?" she asked.

"Think about it. Cy's not gonna' rest till he finds that letter. And if he can't find it by any other means, the only sure way he's gonna' be able to know if it got to where it needs to go is to go straight to its final destination, right?" he explained.

Raven nodded, with him so far in his explanation. "Yes."

"So, he'll have to go, in person, to find out whether 'she' got the letter or not," he smiled.

Raven looked a bit confused. "Wait. She wouldn't know anything about it. How's she going to know what he's talking about? Unless…"

"Unless, he blurts out what he's lookin' for when he asks her," he grinned, "You know how Cy gets when he's all nervous and stuff."

Raven could picture it in her head. Cyborg nervously asking about her mail, dropping hints he was looking for something in particular. How would he explain he was looking for a letter… a love letter… and from him? How would he try to convince her it was misunderstanding? And more importantly, how would a bad luck sorceress respond?

"I reiterate, you're a twisted and vicious human being," she said.

BeastBoy took a small bow.

"But… there is one thing I'm curious about," she said, letting her eyes wander, trying not seem too anxious, "Since when can you write like that?"

"Uh… like what?" he asked, sincere and unsure of what she was getting at.

"The letter," she hinted.

"Oh! Ya mean all that stuff that rhymed?"

Raven rolled her eyes. "That 'stuff', yes."

BeastBoy twiddled his fingers, looking away.

"It's nothing to be embarrassed about," she offered respectfully, leaning back into her chair, "It was… actually very well done, considering you wrote it."

"W-well… I uh… just started writing and… I figured, with so many words out there, I'd have to find something that sounded good sooner or later," he laughed nervously, obviously lying through his teeth.

"BeastBoy, can't you be serious?" she said, unphased by his poor attempt at humor.

"I tried it once, but everybody laughed," he smirked.

Raven could tell that wasn't the real reason. Sure, she would've credited BeastBoy with the words 'dumb luck' at other things, but this seemed different. Something about the words in his poem seemed so sincere, so genuine. Not even BeastBoy could stumble across something like that by accident or by sheer luck.

"Whatever," she said in a dull voice, not pressing the matter further, "I should've known better than to expect a sensible answer when your mind is still half asleep. Not that there's that much of a difference when it's awake."

"Speaking of awake, when do ya suppose bird boy'll be wakin' up?" he smiled.

A valid question. Raven looked up at the clock, making calculations in her head. "Well, given the time Robin normally wakes up, and judging by the amount of energy I exerted to numb his senses last night, he should be waking up right about…"

Robin began to stir, slowly opening his eyes beneath his mask. He felt refreshed, very well rested. "Eeaaahh," he yawned, "Boy, I can't remember the last time I slept that good. Feels like I…"

Robin was cut short as he noticed that he felt rather warm. Pulling back the covers with one hand, he discovered that, somehow, he had been dressed in rather unusual nighttime attire. Over his standard uniform, he was dressed in a full pajama outfit with knitted leggings and even a hood pulled over his head, covered with fluffy pink fur, and floppy ears drooping from the top of his hood. It was a bunny outfit, similar to something a small child would wear.

Robin narrowed his eyes at the ensemble. "What the? How did…" Robin was cut short yet again as he tried to move, but found he could not. It felt as if something were weighing him down from his side.

Slowly turning his head, he lifted the covers from beside him to find Starfire fast asleep.

"STARF-," Robin caught himself, lowering the volume and shock in his voice just in time, "Starfire? What are you doing in my…" he whispered, questioning why she was sleeping in his room. Unfortunately, as Robin surveyed his surroundings, he became painfully aware that they were not in his room. He was in Starfire's room, in bed, and with her sound asleep next to him.

Starfire slept soundly on her side, hugging Robin's other arm. It didn't take a world-class detective to piece together what kind of conclusions might be drawn if Starfire woke up and found him like this. He did not need to know the Tameranian word for pervert. Robin slowly made a cautious attempt to remove his arm without waking her, but every attempt to loosen his arm from Starfire's hold resulted in her tightening her grasp, smiling dreamily, nuzzling against his shoulder.

"Just my luck," he whispered to himself, blushing heavily, "Starfire clings to things in her sleep."

Robin waited a moment for her movement to settle, taking a deep breath. Again, he tried to slither his arm free. Thankfully, Starfire's alien strength was not at its peak with her asleep. Slowly, inch-by-inch, he started to pull himself loose. Leaning farther back at the edge of the mattress, his arm more than halfway, straining to dislodge his wrist, he heaved once more. Almost with a 'pop', Robin's arm was freed, but the sudden pull had thrown him off balance, causing him to tumble to the floor.

Rubbing his head with a low groan, flat on his back, he remained silent in the hopes that Starfire was still asleep. A minute passed, Robin holding his breath, scanning for any sign or sound of Starfire's awakening. After observing nothing but total silence, he finally relaxed, slowly exhaling.

"Phew," he sighed in relief, "That was close." Robin slowly got to his feet, about to tiptoe for the door.

BUZZ! BUZZ! BUZZ! BUZZ!

Starfire's alarm clock went off. Her arm swung almost instinctively as she rolled over, smashing the clock, the nightstand, and much of the general vicinity into the ground. This, of course, stopped Robin dead in his tracks, slowly turning to see Starfire lazily sit up and begin rubbing the sleep from her eyes.

Starfire stretched her arms over her head, loosening her inactive stiff joints from a good night's sleep. "Oh, good morning, Robin," she said cheerfully with a smile, acting in her normal manner, "Did you sleep well?"

Starfire seemed completely calm and at ease with the whole situation. Could it be she was still half asleep, or at least somewhat daydreaming? A comforting thought, but extremely unlikely.

Starfire stretched once more, this time arching her back. "I must ask you to leave now as I must get dressed for this glorious new day," she beamed, calmly swinging her feet over the side of her bed. "And I trust you would most likely wish to do the same."

Robin gave a nod, the only reaction his brain could fathom at the moment, and casually stepped out into the hall, closing the door behind him. Though unscathed, he was still at a loss for what had just happened. He didn't know how this had happened, but he was going to find out.

He bolted down the hall at top speed, arriving in the kitchen, finding BeastBoy still somewhat half asleep with his head laying on the table and Raven opposite of him, setting down her tea kettle.

Robin breathed heavily, taking a moment to catch his breath as Raven and BeastBoy stared questionably at him. "Okay," he said, clearly aggravated, still catching his breath, "I believe an explanation is in order," he fumed angrily.

"What do you mean?" Raven said coyly.

BeastBoy's smirk was hidden, his face buried in his folded arms on the table.

"I 'MEAN' why did I happen to wake up in a bed, other than my own!" he shot, clearly in no mood to play games. He walked over beside BeastBoy, who was still an act for dead, or at least hoping to pass as one. "Care to offer any insight, BeastBoy?" Robin crossed his arms, impatiently tapping his foot.

"Dude, I don't think I'm the one you should be talkin' to," he said face down.

"That would be my insight you're after," Raven said casually, refilling her mug.

Robin narrowed his eyes, taken slightly off guard.

"The Christmas tree jokes yesterday?" she hinted.

"Yeah, just seems like one holiday after another with you," BeastBoy sat up, flopping against the back of his chair, "Yesterday, it was all about Christmas, but if I didn't know any better, I'd swear I slept til Easter." BeastBoy couldn't resist a shot at Robin's bunny attire.

"Hardly as cheerful as the Easter Bunny, BeastBoy," Raven cut in, taking a sip of her freshly poured tea, "Although… he does look like he's about to lay an egg."

BeastBoy did his best to stifle a laugh.

Robin, just realizing he was still wearing the ridiculous bunny getup, tore off the hood as well as the other remnants of the outfit like tissue paper, tossing it aside. He opened his mouth to speak, but Raven cut him off.

"Before you say anything about going too far, or any other nonsense to justify any manner of retribution on your behalf, may I point out, in addition to your comments yesterday, the words: 'You reap what you sew'?"

"Robin's sewing?" BeastBoy said puzzled.

"It's the intellectual way of saying 'What goes around, comes around'," Raven interpreted.

Robin calmed himself slightly. "Still, there are limits to how far a joke can go," he enforced. "You might've scarred Starfire for life with a stunt like that."

"Relax, Robin. I got permission first," Raven sighed.

"Yeah," BeastBoy chimed in, offering some measure of support, "She got… huh?"

Raven sipped her tea.

Robin and BeastBoy both looked at one another, equally confused. "Permission? You mean, you actually asked Starfire beforehand?" Robin asked, astonished. It made sense, considering how aware and at ease Starfire was upon her awakening.

"Forget asking. I'm shocked she gave ya the ok," BeastBoy said, just as stunned.

"Of course I asked. You think I would just slip a person in bed with someone without considering the consequences? Give me some credit," Raven said.

"You mean, this was all Starfire's idea?" Robin said, now face-to-face with Raven.

"Putting you in bed with her was MY idea, the bunny suit was hers." Raven corrected, still an uninterested tone about her. "Believe me, I could've come up with far worse."

Robin took her words in with an eerie calm.

"She actually wanted him in that thing?" BeastBoy asked.

"Yes. She was quite firm about it," Raven answered.

"Long way to go for a stuffed animal if ya ask me," he grinned.

Robin was about to offer rebuttal, when there came a familiar voice from down the corridor.

"Robin? To where have you gone?" called Starfire, the sound of voice drawing closer.

Robin looked at the door, a sudden nervous feeling trembling in his stomach. He looked back at the two culprits before him. "We'll discuss this later," he shot, making a break for the lower level staircase. He was in need of time to gather himself regarding this awkward matter, and didn't feel like he was presently up to the task of confronting her about it.

"What's the rush?" BeastBoy called, "Maybe she just wants to book you for an afternoon nap," he cracked with a wicked smile.

Robin shot a quick glare before disappearing from sight.

No sooner than his departure, Starfire whisked through the doors of the main room, scanning the area. Flying over to her friends, she maintained a low flight at the end of the table in the kitchen.

"Good morning to you, friends," she smiled, hands together with a warm greeting, "Have you perhaps seen…"

BeastBoy and Raven both pointed towards the exit, tipping her off to Robin's whereabouts.

Glancing in the direction, she nodded with another warm smile. "I thank you, friends." And with that, departed as quickly as she had entered.

BeastBoy and Raven looked at each other. BeastBoy burst into a hysterical fit of laughter, falling out of his chair. Raven merely continued to sip her tea, but the side of her mouth curled all the same.

"Let it be known that I, BeastBoy, am in the presence of prank greatness!" he cried, expelling the tears of laughter.

"Calm down," Raven said, her miniscule smile faded, "It wasn't that funny."

BeastBoy regained himself… eventually. "Are you kidding? You just completely outdid me!" he smiled, "Come on! Gloat! Brag! Something!"

Raven slowly looked up at him standing beside her. His expression was sincere. Usually, BeastBoy was a sore loser, but it seemed as though he was actually happy for her. He almost seemed glad she had outdone him.

"It's not an accomplishment or anything," she said dismally, "It was a childish, immature, and utterly pointless activity, if you can even call it that."

"And, you loved every minute of it," he smirked devilishly.

Raven looked coldly at him. "I felt no such enjoyment. Let's merely agree that it met with your approval and drop it," she said bluntly, going for another sip of her tea. Though she may have felt some minor enjoyment in executing the joke on Robin and getting some manner of payback with it, she would certainly not be willing to tell him that.

"Oh, no you don't!" BeastBoy said, gently lifting her up from her seat, turning her to face him, "You're not getting' outta this one." Too many times had Raven dismissed such things as pointless and insignificant, and the one time she'd actually participated, she'd proven just how good she was at it as she was at everything else she'd set her mind to. He would not let this accomplishment go under-appreciated so easily.

Raven gave him a hard look for keeping her from her tea and his unexpected pulling her out of her chair.

"Raven," he began, "Kneel."

Raven raised an eyebrow. Confused, she found no sense in what he was asking. Then again, it wouldn't be a first for BeastBoy. Reluctantly, Raven kneeled down on one knee.

BeastBoy smiled, picking up a butter knife from the table. Lightly tapping her left shoulder, and then the right, he mimicked something of a medieval nature, similar to how a king knighted an individual.

"I dove thee, Prankster Supreme," he smiled warmly, paying her tribute.

Raven was slightly taken aback. It was a sweet gesture. Different, out of the ordinary, a bit corny, but sweet none the less. She stared briefly.

"Well," BeastBoy said, breaking the moment, putting back down the butter knife, "What do ya wanna' do now? Your day, remember?"

What to do? Now, there was a good question. After the video game yesterday, the prank last night, on top of everything else that'd transpired, Raven could feel her emotions beginning to churn. A sign that it was time to undergo some manner of corrective restraint.

"Maybe… meditation, perhaps," she said, shaking off the feeling of her knighthood.

The two made their way up to the rooftop, one of Raven's more preferable meditation spots. The brisk sea air and the heightened atmosphere helped to relax her more thoroughly while in a trance. Raven moved to the center of the roof, taking up her meditative position, floating close to the ground. BeastBoy sat beside her, leaning back on his side, watching her.

After a minute or two passed, Raven cracked an eye to find BeastBoy just staring up at her. Thinking not much of it, she closed her eye and began to delve into a deep trance.

"So?" BeastBoy asked timidly.

There was a brief moment of silence. "So, what?" Raven responded, her eyes still closed.

"Aren't you at least gonna' ask me if I wanna' TRY to meditate?" he asked hopefully.

Raven returned to full awareness, opening her eyes, looking at the green boy beside her. "You can't be serious," she said, doubtful if he was serious.

"Aw, come on, Rae. Are you gonna' tell me you don't want some company for something like this?" It only seemed fair. Raven had tried his video games, after all.

"BeastBoy, meditation is a silent activity that demands focus and concentration. You don't say anything; you don't do anything. Therefore, company is irrelevant," she explained, closing her eyes once more.

"What's the matter? Afraid I might like it? Like how you did with my video games?" he smirked, baiting her.

Raven's eyes opened again, giving him a firm look. "I never said I 'liked' them. I said I 'tolerated' them."

"Okay. Are you afraid I might 'tolerate' meditating?" he corrected.

Minutes passed, and Raven spoke not a word. She sat in mid air, floating gently in the breeze. BeastBoy slumped slightly, thinking he might have pushed his luck.

"Sit up straight," she said, breaking the silence.

BeastBoy's ears perked up. Startled a bit, he looked at her, finding her eyes closed, still facing straight ahead. He remained motionless.

Raven opened one eye, looking down at him. "Do I have to repeat myself?" she said in the empty tone he'd come to know so well.

BeastBoy sat up immediately, replicating Raven's sitting position, crossing his legs with a smile. He looked straight ahead, though glancing to his side occasionally, awaiting further instructions.

"Now," Raven said, "find your center."

BeastBoy looked down, placing a hand on the center of his chest. "Okay, now what?"

Raven sighed, remembering who she talking to. "Let's… try a different approach," she started. "Clear your mind. Empty your thoughts until there is only nothingness."

She looked beside her to find BeastBoy with a vacant expression on his face, almost able to make out a cricket chirping.

"_I'd say he's got the clear and empty part down,"_ she said in her mind, momentarily forgetting BeastBoy's mind was already close to a blank slate.

"Now… just hold that emptiness, and let your mind drift. Cast off everything around you and let your mind find balance and harmony within yourself," she spoke serenely.

She peeked as BeastBoy closed his eyes, a serious yet blank expression on his face. Upon seeing this, Raven closed her eyes as well, resuming her own meditation. She could only guess if he was actually meditating. For all she knew, he could be planning another prank, or thinking of ways to beat his video games, but Raven was not compelled to judge. Time would tell. And with that, she began to collect herself and delve deeper into meditation.

A short time passed. After an hour of intense meditation, she opened her eye, to check on BeastBoy. She was aware that sitting still was probably not the most exciting activity for someone like him. Plus, she didn't want to be neglectful.

Raven opened her eye to sneak a peek. A quick glance revealed BeastBoy not in the same spot as before, absent from her field of view. This briefly alarmed Raven, but not to the point of worry.

"_Maybe he's gone to the bathroom. Perhaps, he's given up and gone to fetch something to read. Or… maybe…"_ she listed in her head.

Her thoughts were interrupted by the sounds of light snoring. Raven, now with both eyes open, looked down to find BeastBoy curled into a ball, sleeping soundly just below her. By the look of it, he'd most likely conked out, falling over at some point from supposed meditation. Not surprising, considering how tired he was from this morning.

Raven stared dully at the half open mouth of her slumbering friend, who was close to blowing bubbles with his own drool. She gave a low sigh. "Well, at least he's not bothering me," she muttered, "and I suppose he did at least try."

Granted, BeastBoy becoming fluent in the art of meditation seemed a bit much to hope for, but at least he made an attempt… sort of.

"May as well make the most of this," she said to herself, closing her eyes, about to return to meditation and let the sleeping boy lie. "Now, I can WHAAAA!"

Raven felt a slight jerk as something pulled her down by her collar. She looked to find BeastBoy, who in is his sleep, had managed to grab the end of her cloak flowing in the breeze and tugged at it, pulling it over him like a blanket.

Raven balled up a fist in aggravation. She turned to face BeastBoy, taking aim with her fist cocked back like the hammer of a rifle. Her arm trembled, still locked in attack mode, but seemingly unwilling to strike. Finally, after holding its position for a few seconds, it lowered to Raven's side, her fist unclenching.

"_One of these days, I'm going to find a way to stay mad at him,"_ she fumed mentally.

She had expected it all to be an act. That he was faking. She had hoped he would've flinched, springing backwards, justifying her actions enough to connect with a shot to his already hollow head, but he was merely tired. Tired from staying up, providing her with his company and his own crude, yet somehow amusing, form of recreation. He had shared a part of himself with her, and despite less than desirable results, she had unknowingly attempted to do the same with him.

Raven gave another sigh. "I suppose everyone meditates in their own way," she muttered, almost as if in defeat.

She resumed her meditation, lowering herself, floating closer to the ground, letting more of her cloak drape over BeastBoy's slumbering frame.

**Next Chapter:** Raven and BeastBoy have begun to share what makes them who they are with one another. But, what does tomorrow hold in store for the two? And, will their late night practical jokes really go without repercussions?


	9. All Work and No Play?

**Quality Time**

**Chapter 9: All Work and No Play?**

It was bright and early the next morning as BeastBoy stepped into the kitchen, stretching with a yawn. He made his way over to the refrigerator, inspecting its contents, making a selection for his morning meal. Content with a bowl of leftover tofu eggs, he shut the refrigerator door and placed the dish in the microwave. A few minutes went by as BeastBoy patiently tapped his foot, rubbing his eyes, becoming more awake as he waited for his breakfast to cook. A ding sounded as he opened the microwave and reached for his dish.

"Ahh! Hot! Hot!" he yelped, snapping out of his drowsy state as his fingertips were subjected to the heat emitting from the bowl, lightly tossing it back and forth from one hand to the other, almost juggling it to the table.

Dropping the bowl onto the table, he waved his hands frantically, blowing on them in an effort to cool them. Even with his gloves on, they weren't specially insulated for protecting against heat.

"I suppose that's one way to fully awaken yourself in the morning," Raven said from across the room, unnoticed until now, sitting on the couch with her back to him, a cup of herbal tea in hand.

BeastBoy gave a halfhearted smile to the back of Raven's head, picking up a fork, and beginning to eat. A short silence followed, interrupted only by the occasional chewing and swallowing of BeastBoy eating.

Raven put down her cup of tea, turning her head to face him. "This is new," she began, "No attempt to defend your absent mindedness by saying you meant to do that on purpose? No comeback?"

"Oh, I got plenty of comebacks," he boasted, now with a full smile, "I'm just savin' them all for later."

Raven stood, walking over to the kitchen. "I take it you have plans?" she asked.

BeastBoy nodded, chewing with his mouth full.

"May I be so bold as to ask what you have in mind?" she questioned, taking a seat across from him as he downed another bite.

Raven was a tad curious as to what he had in store for the both of them today. It was his day for them to engage in his usual routine, and despite yesterday being far from fulfilling due to their somewhat lack of sleep, she would've at least liked a heads up.

BeastBoy put down his fork, swallowing his food. "Picture this," he started, trying to sound dramatic.

Already Raven could tell she wasn't going to like where this was going.

BeastBoy got out of his seat, unable to contain his excitement sitting down. "Today, you and me are gonna' hit the biggest! Noisiest! Funest!"

"Funest isn't a word," she dismally pointed out.

"Don't knock it. I'm on a roll," he smiled, too excited to be brought down by Raven correcting him.

Raven simply rolled her eyes.

"Now, where was I?" he scratched the side of his head.

"Funest," Raven sighed.

"Oh yeah! The funest! Most loudest…"

"BeastBoy," Robin called, entering the room.

BeastBoy stopped, both he and Raven turning to observe Robin approach them. Immediately the thought of prank retaliation entered BeastBoy's mind. Though, in truth, he was expecting it sooner or later. After all, he certainly wouldn't have let Robin off the hook if it were the other way around.

Robin seemed calm enough. No visible indication of him holding a grudge. Then again, this was Robin. Next to Raven, he could mask his intentions with the best of them. He could only anticipate Robin was probably going to spring some kind of prank, or maybe just serve as a distraction while Cyborg arranged some kind of fiendish booby trap in his room. But if BeastBoy was going to be on the receiving end of whatever Robin had in store for him, why not go out in one last blaze of glory. Let the crime fit the punishment.

"Oh, hey, Robin," he greeted cheerfully, "Almost didn't recognize you without the long ears," he snickered. Robin in a bunny suit, an image that would be hard to forget for a while. How difficult must it be to look at the leader of a group of teen superheroes with a straight face after something like that?

Robin's brow narrowed slightly, but gave no verbal reply.

"Aww, c'mon," he joked, "Loosen up. I was just kiddin'. No need to get sore. How 'bout some breakfast? A bowl of cereal, some toast, or maybe just a bushel of carrots?" he chuckled.

It was painfully obvious BeastBoy was not sparing any effort to keep the remembrance of Robin sporting a rabbit suit fresh, in both Robin's mind and his own.

Again, Robin gave no spoken reply, merely crossing his arms, tapping his finger against his arm impatiently. At this point he was starting to think that no matter what he said would lead to another pun pertaining to rabbits.

BeastBoy's laughter died down, not getting so much as a rise out of their leader, bringing his focus back to his meal. Taking one more bite, he glanced up at the clock, checking the time. It was still fairly early, but there was no time to be wasted. For what BeastBoy had in mind, every second counted. The current time in his head, doing rough figuring on how long it'd take to make the necessary preparations for the day, BeastBoy leaned his head back bringing the edge of the bowl to his mouth, downing the remains of his eggs like they were water. Cramming every last ounce of eggs into his mouth, he tossed the bowl aside, his cheeks swollen from so much stuffed in his mouth. Taking a deep breath, he closed his eyes, tilting his chin up to swallow in one big gulp.

"Aaahhh," he breathed in relief, his stomach full.

He sprang to his feet, walking hastily towards the door. "Come on, Raven," he said, "We got a lotta' stuff to do."

Raven sighed, getting to her feet. No use prolonging the inevitable.

"Just a minute," Robin said, stopping BeastBoy in his tracks, turning around just as the door swished open in front of him. Raven stared straight ahead, dull and uncaring, but still wondering if this was the inevitable retaliation both she and BeastBoy had been expecting.

"Make it snappy, dude," he grinned as Raven moved beside him, turning to face Robin as well, "We got a lot to do and fun waits for no one."

"It will for you I'm afraid," Robin said calmly.

BeastBoy looked at Raven, then back to Robin in confusion. He wasn't sure where this was going, but he was sure he probably wasn't going to like it.

"There are duties around the tower that need doing," he said, pulling a small piece of paper from his utility belt, presenting it to BeastBoy who had begun taking small steps towards him. "I hope you didn't have any plans for the day," he added as BeastBoy scanned the list of things to do.

"Um," BeastBoy started to rebut, reading a list of what appeared to be chores, "Actually, I…"

"Good," Robin cut him off, moving past him.

Robin didn't sound too snide in his asking, nor did he give away so much as confident smirk, but it still felt like something Robin had come up with just to ruin the, up until now, perfect day. BeastBoy had been ready for payback, he had actually almost planned on it. But why now?

BeastBoy was dumbstruck. "B-but… we… and were… and the place…funest," he babbled, so caught off guard by Robin's assignment he was unable to form cognitive thought to layout complete sentences. BeastBoy shook his head, shaking off his lack of response. "Wait a sec!"

Robin turned to BeastBoy giving him his full attention.

"I already did chores last week. You can't gimme' double duty," he flailed his arms, pointing to the list. "I had a complete day planned out. Complete!"

Robin remained motionless, hearing BeastBoy out. Though, it didn't seem as though BeastBoy's rebuttal was swaying his judgment.

Raven watched him carefully, looking for any sign of Robin taking amusement in BeastBoy's display of disappointment. Much to her surprise, she found none. Maybe this wasn't Robin getting back at BeastBoy, but it was still highly suspect.

"Dude, I know ya kinda' got it in for me, what with the whole 'goin' hippity-hop down the bunny trail' bit," he said, unintentionally reminding the boy wonder of his teasing, "But I put a lotta' thought into today. Can't my suffering wait?"

"Sorry, BeastBoy," began Robin, barely sympathetic as he moved past him, "But this isn't punishment. However, it IS still your responsibility, and it still needs to be done today."

BeastBoy hung his head in disappointment, mentally flushing his plans down the toilet.

Raven stood beside him taking a brief second to register his disappointment but maintaining her empty expression. He must've had something extravagant, at least from his perspective, for him to be this depressed.

The doors opened, as Robin was about to make his exit without a second glance of consideration. "I know I can count on you to…"

A black mass of energy emerged up from the floor in front of Robin, cutting him off and blocking his exit. Two glowing white eyes appeared in the center of the energy mass before reforming into Raven, mildly surprising Robin who took a step back.

"As much as I enjoy seeing BeastBoy discouraged from overly obnoxious and immature behavior," Raven started, casting her view from Robin to the green boy behind him who seemed slightly perked up at the possibility of her standing up for him, "Which I do," she added, grounding his overly hopeful ambition, "I wish to point out two minor details. One, BeastBoy was not the one who pulled the practical joke on you. I was."

Robin could only stand there, unsure of how to respond.

"Two, I would've thought that you'd have known better than to abuse your role as leader for settling personal matters," she finished.

Robin took another step back, hands up in front of him. "Hold on," he said rationally, an explanation sure to follow, "Nobody's punishing anybody here."

Raven crossed her arms, far from convinced.

"For starters, yes, I know you were the one who got me. However, BeastBoy seemed to draw more pleasure from it, where as you haven't spoken a word about it since," Robin explained.

Raven looked to the side at BeastBoy without turning around, keeping Robin in front of her. That much was true.

"And like I said before, I'm not punishing him," he eased out.

"Sure," Raven said with low sarcasm, "You get made a fool of, BeastBoy keeps it fresh in your mind, and the next day he gets double chore detail. No punishment there."

Robin sighed, feeling the same lack of belief as she did through her sarcastic tone. "Look, there are simply things around the tower that need doing. And since BeastBoy usually has the least to occupy his time, he seemed the best choice,"

Raven was still not totally convinced.

"And besides, if I was going to get back at BeastBoy, I could do a LOT better than a few chores," he said with a small but proud smile, leaning to the side, looking over his shoulder at the young changeling.

Now she was totally convinced.

"Can't ya just get someone else?" BeastBoy asked pleadingly. "Isn't it Cyborg's turn this week anyway?"

"Yes it is," he nodded, "But I haven't seen him all day. And for that matter, I didn't see him all day yesterday either."

It took less than a minute for BeastBoy to draw a rough idea of where he could be. No doubt it had something to do with the priority mail BeastBoy had informed him about. But it shouldn't have taken this long for him to figure things out. BeastBoy gave a curious glance to Raven who had instinctively looked his way at the mention of Cyborg's absence.

"W-well… What about you?" BeastBoy asked, quickly changing the subject. Perhaps it was best to keep Cyborg's possible whereabouts to himself. Besides, he couldn't say for sure where he was. "Can't you just handle the chores?"

"I can't," he said firmly. "I'm… preoccupied."

"With what, pray tell?" Raven queried.

"Um… New training regiment," he said, becoming rather shifty, his tone starting to waver, "I'm… fine tuning a stealth exercise for the team to practice during training next week."

BeastBoy and Raven both stared their leader.

"Translation…" BeastBoy smirked.

"You're still evading Starfire," Raven concluded.

Robin looked off to the side. "That's not the issue here," he said trying to disrupt their line of thinking, "The point is, there are chores that need doing and I've designated BeastBoy to take care of them," he responded calmly, retaining his focus, despite a miniscule blush.

Robin took a deep breath, followed by exhaling what little tension was left in the room. "I'm sorry BeastBoy," he finished sympathetically, without any trace of bitterness or arrogance.

Maybe Robin wasn't exacting revenge, at least not yet, but he seemed apologetic for scrapping BeastBoy's plans. And Robin was their leader. BeastBoy knew, like it or not, he was going to have to comply with Robin's request. But that didn't mean he wasn't entitled to one last bit of amusement at Robin's expense.

"No, Robin. I'm sorry," BeastBoy said, turning his disappointment to a wholesome smile.

Robin gave a confused look.

"STARFIRE! HE'S IN HERE!" BeastBoy shouted.

Robin's eyes went wide, quickly turning, looking and listening for Starfire's approach. "Traitor!" he shouted running past him, uninterested to see if Starfire had heard him, not taking any chances. Robin dove out one of the windows overlooking city, pulling a grappling hook launcher from his utility belt. Spinning in mid air as he began to descend, he fired the grappling hook, which latched onto a segment of the roof, swinging out of sight.

BeastBoy's gleeful expression faded as soon as the boy wonder was out of view. Though he'd managed to bring himself a small measure of satisfaction he still had the chores to deal with. Casting a glazed over look down at the list in hand, he sighed, letting the list fly from his hand and drift slowly towards the ground.

Plucking the list gently from the air, Raven surveyed BeastBoy's duties for the day. Looking up from the list, giving her usual uninterested expression, she registered the disappointment on the green boy's face. On one hand, it appeared that she had been pardoned from whatever BeastBoy was planning. But could she really accept relief in such a way as this?

"So?" Raven began, "Where do we start?"

BeastBoy sighed once more, heavier than before. "Well, I guess the…" he stopped suddenly, "Uh… What'd you just say?"

"Where do we start," she repeated, "The chores?" she hinted, thinking BeastBoy had tuned out as he often did.

"No, no! I got the chores part… but… when you say 'we', does that mean… you… AND me?" he said, slightly baffled.

Raven looked off to the side, tempted not to even dignify such an obvious question with a response. "Yes," she said impatiently, "Where do WE start?"

BeastBoy raised an eyebrow, pausing for a moment, thinking there had to be more to it. "Uh… not that I'm ungrateful or anything… but the bet says ya just have to stay around me. You don't have to bail me out or suffer with me," he said sympathetically.

"First of all, I'm aware of the terms of the bet," she said firmly, crossing her arms. "And though Robin may not seem to think so, I'd definitely classify sticking someone with more than their fair share of chores, enough so that it'd fill up an entire day, as something that'd fit nicely in the punishment category."

"So what?" he shrugged, "It doesn't matter if he calls it punishment or not. He gave me chore detail outta' nowhere. He's done it before."

"It's the WAY he did it that bothers me," she said, looking towards the window where their leader had exited.

BeastBoy continued to look perplexed. Here was Raven, a free pass to do whatever she wanted while BeastBoy slaved around the tower, and she seemed dead set on assisting him.

"It doesn't matter," he said uncaringly, "Just… I dunno'… do whatever it is you'd normally do."

"I'm helping, whether you approve or not," she said turning her back to him, looking over shoulder, "Deal with it."

There had to be something more to it. Raven may not have been so cheery about it, but she was offering, or rather, asserting her willingness to help.

Raven gave one final icy stare, causing BeastBoy to take a step back in hesitation, letting out a nervous chuckle. Realizing she was probably seeming more menacing than sympathetic, her stare thawed to her normal empty gaze.

"Look," Raven sighed, "In a sense, you're being punished for something I did. All I'm saying is… and DON'T read too much into this," she warned mildly, "Is that it would be unconscionable for me to allow you to be disciplined for something of my doing," she finished in her normal dry tone.

There was a brief silence as BeastBoy stared at her, grinding the gears in his mind.

BeastBoy's mouth curled into a smirk. "Oh," he said playfully.

"What?" Raven asked.

"This isn't just about feelin' sorry for me," he started.

"Whoever said I felt sorry," she said uncaringly, letting her eyes wander to the side, feeling as though BeastBoy was just messing with her.

"This is a matter of pride," he continued, ignoring Raven's remark.

Raven looked at him questionably. "Care to run that by me once more?"

"You wanna' take the punishment for YOUR prank," he smiled.

"I want to assume responsibility for my actions, yes," she responded, hardly finding any point to this conversation.

"You don't want ME taking YOUR punishment, cause then it'd be like I pranked Robin," he added.

"That's absurd," she shook her head, "I'm helping because it's the right thing to do."

"Uh huh. Sure," he said sarcastically with a grin, "That, and that you don't want me hoggin' the glory."

"WHAT GLORY?" she raised her voice, seemingly at the longer this issue went, the less sense it made and the more it aggravated her. "YOU'RE being punished."

"And YOU aren't. And that's what gets ya, huh?" he smiled, "I mean, what's the point of pullin' a prank if there's no risk or consequences, right?"

Raven wanted to just scream in annoyance. She was merely offering to help, and now he'd turned the whole thing into a debate.

"_Ugh! He is impossible!"_ she shouted in her mind, _"I'm helping because I'm genuinely responsible."_

BeastBoy continued to insinuate Raven's pride in the matter. However, Raven was so deep in thought, it fell on deaf ears. She merely stared straight ahead, mentally calming her mind in thought.

"_I'm helping because I played role in that stunt of his. But it certainly has nothing to do with any sort of personal obligation to that ridiculous practical joke. Or that… I pranked Robin and… BeastBoy got punished and…"_ her mind slowed, carefully analyzing the matter more thoroughly, _"And… I got off Scot-free."_

Maybe, deep down, Raven did feel a bit guilty for him seemingly getting all the blame and repercussions. Maybe even a bit responsible. But she certainly felt no such 'pride' in the matter. Did she?

Raven snapped back to reality at the absurdity of the thought, shaking it off.

"Just admit it, Raven," BeastBoy continued, as if she hadn't tuned out, "You're a prankster and you're proud of it."

Raven remained silent, not even willing to dignify such a statement with a response. The pride accusation was one thing, but now on top of that, he was labeling her as a prankster to boot.

"I refuse to allow you to hold me to the same standards as you," she said, staring a hole through him.

"Ok, ok," he said, backing off, "We'll just leave it at the whole 'matter of pride' thing."

"For the last time," she raised her voice, taking a step towards him, "I DON'T REGARD SOMETHING LIKE THIS WITH PRIDE. Who would? What kind of person holds their head high over slipping two friends into the same bed with each other and dressing one of them in a rabbit suit?"

BeastBoy raised his hand, grinning sheepishly. "Yo."

Raven smacked her forehead, dragging her hand slowly down her face, letting out a sigh, returning her mood to neutral. "Just… drop it, okay?"

BeastBoy snapped a tiny salute, signifying he understood.

"Good," Raven said, turning making her way towards the door with BeastBoy shortly behind her. "Now, as I was saying, where do we start?" she asked, turning her attention back to the list.

"Doesn't matter to me," he shrugged, "I'm not too proud to get the messy stuff over with."

Raven stopped dead, her grip on the list growing slightly tighter.

"_Uh oh,"_ BeastBoy's mind cautioned, _"Bad choice of words."_

BeastBoy's mind had a nasty habit of having a ten second delay before isolating and choosing the right thing to say around Raven. And though it was unintentional, including the word 'proud' seemed like pushing the whole pride argument one step too far, especially after how firmly Raven disagreed on the whole issue. He immediately feared for the worst.

"_M-maybe… she didn't hear the 'proud' crack?"_ he thought, hopefully.

Raven turned slowly, halfway facing him. The scariest thing about Raven? She could be furious at anyone and not even twitch, keeping her expression passive and no one would know. No one except BeastBoy, that is.

"Nope. She heard me." 

"BeastBoy?" she said calmly, her eyes beginning to narrow.

BeastBoy gulped loudly. "U-uh… y-yeah?"

BeastBoy could feel his heartbeat quicken as if it were in his throat, Raven's stare sending a shiver down his spine. She didn't seem like she was angry, but that didn't fool him for an instant.

Raven folded the list.

"_Here it comes. I'm dead,"_ he shivered in his mind.

"Since we're already here, why don't we simply start with the main room," she said, closing her eyes.

BeastBoy, who had curled into a defensive position on the floor, removed his arms from over his head, slowly opening one eye. After a minute of waiting to see if any anger would resurface, BeastBoy stood, relaxing to a degree.

"_Phew!"_ his mind eased his worry, _"False alarm."_

"Sounds cool to me," he answered, his relief growing.

"Fine," Raven answered, tucking the list away, "We'll start with some light cleaning. I'll handle the dusting."

"Great," BeastBoy said approvingly with a smile, "What can I do?"

"You can be the broom," she answered.

Raven's eyes opened, giving off a hazy white glow.

"Sure. I can be the… huh?"

A trail of black energy ensnared BeastBoy's ankles, sharply tugging BeastBoy's legs out from under him, sending him to the floor with a thud, landing flat on his back. Before he could react, he was then lifted off the ground, still hanging by his feet in mid air, swaying back and forth.

BeastBoy observed the energy trail, tracing it to beneath Raven's foot, almost seeming as though her shadow had reached up from the ground. He turned his attention back to Raven's unchanged empty expression, exchanging a nervous look.

"NOW, it's a matter of pride," she said coolly.

With no more than a slight nod, BeastBoy was propelled upward towards the ceiling, still hanging upside down just above the risers and numerous other fixtures. BeastBoy began to sway once more, this time more sternly, picking up momentum. He shook back and forth, the energy trail swinging him, his hair brushing alongside the upper regions of the room kicking up large amounts of dust and dirt, as if he were a living broom.

"WHAA! AAAH! WHOA! WAAEE!" he yelped between swings.

This continued for several minutes. After being convinced BeastBoy had learned his lesson about trying to make insinuations, and deeming the upper segments to be relatively clean, she set BeastBoy down, laying him flat on his stomach with his arms and legs sprawled out and his pupils still spinning.

"Now," she crossed her arms, casting her view down at him, "What have we learned?"

BeastBoy slowly got to his feet, occasionally wobbling from movement to movement.

"That you should simply be grateful for help when it's given?" she offered, finding him still a bit disoriented to respond, "That other people's reasons are their own? When someone says 'drop it', you just DROP IT?"

BeastBoy began to regain his balance somewhat, but still had difficulty standing steadily. His eyes still looked as if they were caught in a spin cycle. He raised a finger, offering an answer. "LeT's Go AgAiN! lEt'S gO aGaIn!" he chanted dizzily.

Suddenly, the weight of his own body too much to sustain under his brief loss of balance, his knees buckled, falling towards the ground.

Raven responded in time, quickly catching one arm around her shoulder, just barely enough to keep him from planting himself face first into the floor. Raven hoisted him up, one hand keeping hold of his arm, the other pushing against his chest, helping to regain his vertical base.

BeastBoy closed his eyes in an effort to make the room stop spinning, still dizzied from Raven's cleaning methods.

Raven sighed. For a guy who'd fought villains, super mutants, and assorted random monsters and aliens on a daily basis, who'd have thought BeastBoy could be brought down so easily by a little house work. Then again…

It was then Raven realized just how close together the two of them were. BeastBoy, though somewhat dazed and not of his own accord, had his arm around Raven, and she with her hand against his chest. A small blush eased its way across Raven's face.

BeastBoy pulled himself up out of his previously hunched position, getting a firmer grip on Raven's shoulder to balance himself, locking eyes with her. "Raven?" he asked softly.

The redness in her cheeks deepened by two shades. On top of that, both her hands were in use, unable to simply pull her hood up. "Y-Yes?" she answered, doing her best to sound as uncaring as usual, looking away in the hopes he wouldn't notice the tint in her face.

"Are we done with the chores?" he asked with a smile.

Raven's temporarily weakened expression broke. Her eyes narrowed at the floor, frowning as the redness in her face faded from whence it came. She released BeastBoy's arm and pulled her other hand away, relieving him of any brace for him to keep on his feet, causing him to fall head first to the floor once again.

"Ow!" he shouted on impact.

Raven pulled up her hood making her way to the door.

"Ya know, you coulda' just said no," he complained, rubbing the small lump on his head. BeastBoy began brushing stray clumps of dust out of his hair, looking up at Raven walking towards the door. "Huh?" he said quietly to himself, seeing something rather odd.

As Raven walked away, BeastBoy found himself staring at Raven's cloak rustle with each step, seemingly shifting its color from a light to a darker of blue. BeastBoy closed his eyes, shaking his head vigorously. Reopening his eyes, he saw Raven's cloak the same dark blue it'd always been. Was he seeing things?

"I musta' hit my head harder than I thought," he said to himself, getting up to walk after her.

It was now a bit later in the day, just slightly past noon, as the two walked side by side down the hallway, each carrying a large basket of laundry. BeastBoy's basket was overflowing with a combination of both Robin's clothes and his own. Raven's pile was still fairly large, but considerably smaller than BeastBoy's due to the fact that hers and Starfire's laundry had been properly sorted and folded, where as BeastBoy had just tossed his in the basket. Obviously, laundry was the next task that needed doing.

BeastBoy grimaced at the pile. He didn't have all his laundry that needed cleaning, just enough to get him through the week. After all, if he was to win the bet and Cyborg was to clean his room, he wanted him to get the full effect. Besides, to get ALL his dirty laundry, he would've needed a wheel barrel or two rather than a basket.

"Ya know, cleanin' the tower is one thing," he started, "But how come I gotta' do laundry for the guy who gave me this cruddy job?"

"Because, it's the reason we all take turns doing chores," Raven answered, staring straight ahead. "One person carries the load for everyone."

"Well how come when Robin does all the work, my laundry never gets done? It's like he avoids contact with my clothes," he complained, waving a shirt beside her.

Raven shied her head away slightly to the side, both from the sight and smell of the clothing in question. "And with good reason I might add."

BeastBoy merely made a face in response.

The door swished open as the two entered a small laundry room located just beside the garage. Nothing fancy. A somewhat bare room, a washer and dryer against the far wall, and a small table on the left hand side.

Raven placed her basket on the table. "Yours first," she said.

BeastBoy smiled making his way over to the washer, flipping open the top lid. "Thanks."

"Don't thank me. Thank my nose," she said dryly, turning her back to him, beginning to sort the contents of her basket more thoroughly on the table, "Just wash them before the smell lingers any longer than it has to."

It certainly wouldn't take long for such an odor to occupy the room's air completely, especially considering the size of the room.

BeastBoy frowned. "Ya know, we coulda' gotten this done faster if you woulda' just agreed to come here and get everything set up while I went and got everybody's stuff," he said tossing his basket worth of the clothes into the washer one by one.

"Fat chance," Raven replied, looking at him out of the corner of her eye. "There's no way I'd trust you alone with Starfire's unmentionables, let alone mine."

"What? You think I'd try on your undies or… or mess around with Star's training bras or somethin'?" BeastBoy remarked.

Raven raised an eyebrow in curiosity. "BeastBoy, do you even know what a training bra is?"

"Of course I do," he said, priding his intellect, "They're like regular bras except they got little wheels on em'."

Raven rolled her eyes. She should've known better.

"Aw, c'mon, Raven. Just what kinda' guy do you think I am?" he asked, momentarily halting from the laundry.

Raven continued to fold and sort the pile clothes on the table, speaking not a word.

"Well?" he pried.

"Don't rush me. I'm still working on it," she answered.

BeastBoy gave an annoyed look, turning his attention back to his laundry.

Raven surveyed her neatly arranged piles, one of her laundry, one of Starfire's. They were easy to distinguish. The large amounts of pink were a dead giveaway.

"_That appears to be everything,"_ she said in her mind, inspecting her laundry. _"Except…"_

Raven began rummaging through the piles as if looking for something. It began as gently lifting each piece in the pile, checking between each article of clothing. But after a few moments, she began tossing piece after piece of clothing over her shoulder, her search becoming increasingly desperate. Not finding anything amidst the piles she then grabbed the basket, turning it upside down, shaking it, hoping it was somehow magically stuck to the top of the basket. To her dismay, she found nothing.

This had not gone unnoticed by BeastBoy, who had paused briefly to watch Raven rifle through clothes, ducking whatever strayed from her search. It was rare Raven openly displayed such a desperate look. Whatever she was looking for must've been of great importance, either simply to find it or merely to insure BeastBoy didn't.

Her search yielding no results, she turned making her way to the door.

"Hey," BeastBoy called to her, "Where ya goin'?"

Raven stopped as the door opened, her back still to him. "I forgot something."

"Oh. Ok. I'll come with ya," he smiled, taking a step towards her.

"NO!" Raven shouted forcefully, turning back. "I mean… no," she said, toning down her voice. "That won't be necessary. Besides, I won't be long." And with that Raven exited the room at a slightly quicker pace.

BeastBoy scratched his head, trying to make sense out of the matter. "What was that all about?" he asked himself, "She forget one of her lucky capes or a pair of enchanted underwear or somethin'?"

Shrugging it off, BeastBoy returned to his laundry, now fully loaded into the washer. He picked up a large box of powdered laundry soap just next to the machine.

"Let's see," he started, taking a measuring cup of soap from the box. "One scoop for Robin's half," he dropped in a spoonful of soap on the left side where most of Robin's clothes had been dropped in, "And one scoop for mine," he dropped in another cup full on the right side into his own assortment.

BeastBoy placed the cup back into the box, about to put the soap back where he'd found it. Just then BeastBoy realized just how long some of his clothes had been without proper washing, leaning over, taking a sniff from his array of laundry.

"On second thought," he pulled the cup from the box, "Better make it four for me."

BeastBoy dumped in three more scoops, taking hardly effort to measure the amount of soap in each scoop. Each deposit far exceeded the capacity of the measuring cup, powdered soap spilling over from the brim of the cup.

Satisfied with the additional amount of soap, he tossed the cup back into the box. "That should do it," he proclaimed proudly.

BeastBoy grabbed the lid, about to close it and start the wash cycle.

"Wait a sec," he stopped, both hands on the lid, looking up as if reaching a realization. "This is probably gonna' take a while. Better grab a quick snack first."

BeastBoy released the lid, heading promptly for the door. Half way outside, he paused looking back.

"_Raven'll probably be back soon. Maybe I should leave her a note or somethin'?"_ he pondered, lightly scratching his chin.

"Nah," he said, resuming his way to the kitchen, the door closing as he departed.

No sooner than a moment or two after his departure, the door to the laundry room opened once more. Raven poked her head inside, scanning for BeastBoy's whereabouts.

"_I'm in luck,"_ she thought to herself.

"He must be on a tofu break," she said, taking the opportunity to quickly stash an item from beneath her cloak into the middle of her laundry pile.

Allowing a bit of relief to wash over her, she turned to find the washing machine lid open, BeastBoy's clothing inside.

"He could've at least started his laundry before he left," she said, eyeing the open washer. "No matter," she picked up the box of laundry soap, filling the measuring cup inside with a precise amount of soap, "May as well get started."

Raven poured in one full cup of soap, depositing the cup back into the box, making her way back over to the table.

"Then again," she said to herself, looking back at the washer, "This is BeastBoy we're talking about." And with that in mind, she picked up the box of laundry soap, pouring in three more cups worth. "There," she said placing the cup back in the box, dusting off her hands and closing the lid. The washer hummed to life, beginning its wash cycle. "At least this'll be one thing BeastBoy won't botch."

As if on cue, BeastBoy entered the room, cramming the last of a sandwich into his mouth, swallowing it whole. "I'm back," he said, a trail of crumbs falling from his mouth.

"I couldn't tell," Raven remarked, moving to the corner of the room, taking up meditation position. Closing her eyes, she began to hover low to the ground, slowly delving into a trance.

BeastBoy walked back over to the washer. To his surprise, he found the washer lid closed and the wash cycle underway. He looked across the room to find Raven quietly chanting, about to thank her, but knew better than to disturb her when it appeared she had just gotten settled. After all, why ruin the moment?

Raven sat quietly, still in the lotus position, deep in meditation. Aside from the constant hum of the washer, the room was quiet. Raven felt relaxed, her expression softening to a comfortable state, her eyes no longer shut as tightly. The last time she'd had suitable meditation conditions was yesterday when BeastBoy fell asleep, so it was no surprise that she welcomed the opportunity to have a little peace.

"_Peace at last,"_ she said dreamily in her mind.

It was then that the realization dawned on her. Peace? With BeastBoy still in the room? Was that even feasible? Sure BeastBoy had kept quiet before, but not without either trying to act unlike himself out of smite or falling asleep. Come to think of it, it'd been almost twenty minutes and she hadn't heard so much as a peep out of him.

Raven may have been in a trance, but she always remained keenly aware of what went on around her. She hadn't heard the door open or close, which meant unless he'd changed into something small and exited by some other means, he hadn't left the room. So what was he doing to keep so quiet? Sleeping? Though it seemed unlikely because he appeared well rested. Reading? He'd resorted to comic books before, but she didn't recall him bringing any with him.

Then what? What could BeastBoy have found to occupy his time so quietly?

Raven cracked an eye. "You've got to be kidding me."

There sat BeastBoy, atop the washing machine, sitting Indian style making a seemingly genuine attempt to meditate. His hands on his knees, his eyes closed, his chest slowly expanding from breathing soothingly. It seemed like some kind of dream or at the very least like something out of the Twilight Zone. In this scenario, BeastBoy had been replaced by a more quiet, more calm duplicate of himself. This line of thinking prompted Raven to shake her head in disbelief. Now she was starting to think like him.

"Uh… BeastBoy?" Raven asked, still taken aback.

BeastBoy opened his eyes halfway, blinking a few times before opening them fully, coming out of whatever daze he looked to be in. He looked around the room, his awareness returning. "Aw, Man!" he groaned, hanging his head, "I thought I almost had it."

Raven blinked. "You weren't seriously trying to meditate… were you?" she asked, unsure of how to react to this situation, considering he was either bored, tired, or just trying to mock her as part of some elaborate joke.

"Well, I WAS," he said in a mildly rude tone. "I thought I was just about to reach that lightning thing people get when they meditate."

"You mean 'enlightenment'?" she asked.

"That's what I said. Lightening," he said.

"BeastBoy, most people have to mediate consecutively for years, some of them almost an entire lifetime to achieve enlightenment," she explained, still doubtful.

"Yeah, well they never had MY kinda' brain power," he poked his forehead with a smile.

"To which, I'm sure they're grateful," she rolled her eyes.

"Hmmph!" BeastBoy pouted, looking away.

Raven took a moment to gauge his reaction. "You really were, weren't you?" she commented with a suggestion of surprise in her voice.

BeastBoy slowly turned his eyes back to her, his head following.

"You were… actually meditating. Or at least trying to," Raven said in the most sincere tone she could muster.

"Of course. I mean, all ya do is just tune out your mind from everything else. And I'm really good at that," he said with a grin.

"I'll vouch for that," Raven remarked. "The question is, why?"

BeastBoy certainly didn't seem the type to just pick up on something like meditation without a reason.

"Well, I guess… after yesterday, before I dozed off, I kinda' felt like… I dunno'… like I was startin' to get the hang of it. I mean, you do it all the time and I guess I wanted to see what it felt like," he said shyly. "But, personally, I don't know how ya can stand it."

Raven gave an annoyed look, obviously triggered by what she interpreted as a negative remark towards her frequent meditation sessions. "I wouldn't expect you to understand. Meditation may not be as soothing to you as, say for instance, a video game."

"No, I mean…" BeastBoy stumbled in thought, trying to find the right words, "It's so… lonely."

Raven's annoyance faded, giving way to confusion.

"I mean… you tune out everything around you. You don't see anything, ya don't hear very much, and what little you can hear seems to echo forever," he said solemnly, his eyes centered on the floor. "It's like you're falling, or like… like you're the only living person left in the world."

Raven studied the deepness in his eyes, verifying the emotion in his words. That definitely sounded like someone's first taste of meditation to her. Like many things, everyone handles meditation differently. He wasn't just making this up. And yet, in all the time Raven had spent meditating, she'd never once thought of it that way.

"That's the way it feels to me… anyway," he breathed.

There was silence between them, cut off only by the washing machine. Raven wasn't sure how to respond. BeastBoy, the lively prankster, was sounding deeply philosophical about the one thing Raven knew more of than anyone.

"It's…" Raven began, "It's not supposed to make you feel lonely. It's supposed to make you feel calm, collected, to help you reflect on who you are deep down. It's supposed to make you feel… whole."

BeastBoy looked up from the floor, locking eyes with Raven, who coincidently had looked up at him directly. The two quickly broke eye contact, looking to opposite side of the room, both doing their best draw attention away from blood rushing to their cheeks forming a redish glow.

"Maybe… I just need to uh… practice more," BeastBoy forced out, breaking the awkward silence.

Raven cleared her throat. "Yes, that would… probably be best."

BeastBoy closed his eyes, settling once more into position, ready to give it another go. Raven watched him do so, forcing herself to admit that even BeastBoy could have his tranquil moments. At least when his mouth wasn't going a mile a minute.

"Though, are you sure that's the best place to sit for meditation purposes?" she asked.

"Aww, gettin' lonely down there Rae?" he opened one eye, gazing down at Raven.

So much for the tranquil moment.

Raven stared uncaringly back at him. "No. But is a washing machine really the best place to center your mind? Not that it's that fragile to begin with," she cracked.

"Nah. I like it here," he defended with a smile. "And with the washing machine goin', it's like one of those fancy massage chairs," he grinned as the machine pulsated beneath him.

Raven rolled her eyes, but turned her view back to him soon enough. Ordinarily, she would've immediately returned to meditation herself, but despite the occasional wise cracks, BeastBoy was making a serious effort. She decided to merely watch or rather… observe for a while.

"_Hard to believe this is the same person who, just a few weeks ago, glued Robin's boots to his bed and replaced the windshield wiper fluid in the T-car with root beer,"_ she thought to herself.

Before long, Raven caught herself staring as BeastBoy gained his concentration. She watched as gently inhaled and exhaled, his shoulders drooping and his head hanging low as the calmness he strived for began to set in.

"Still, I suppose it's nothing to complain about. He is trying after all. I guess it's just hard to believe that only yesterday he was pulling pranks and acting like a bratty child, and now, here he is, meditating, centering his mind, and floating in mid…WAIT! WHAT?"

Floating? Sure enough, Raven had begun to notice BeastBoy beginning to rise higher and higher by a small margin.

"BeastBoy," she called to him.

BeastBoy shriveled his face, trying to tune her out. "Not now, Raven. I'm just startin' to go with it here."

"BeastBoy," she called again.

His face shriveled harder, his eyes shut tighter. "C'mon, quit it. I'm tryin' to…"

"BeastBoy!" she said more forcefully, finally snapping his eyes open.

"Ya know, you complain about me interruptin' you all the time, and now, just when I'm about to have this down pat, you go and…" BeastBoy ranted, slightly irked. He looked down, finding himself higher up than he remembered. "YAAHH!" he squealed, somewhat in a panic, assuming Raven was using her powers again. "Ok, ok. I'm sorry, Rae! Didn't mean to pop off at ya like that. JUST PUT ME DOWN!"

"It's not me. It's the…" Raven tried to explain pointing down.

BeastBoy took a closer look. Raven wasn't lifting him through her powers like before, nor had BeastBoy reached a stage of enlightenment through meditation and gained the ability to float. What was lifting him up was the enormous overflow of soapsuds that had forced the lid of the washing machine off its hinges and was continuing to grow higher and higher with BeastBoy still sitting atop the lid. Within a short few seconds, the massive mountain of suds began to teeter, resembling the leaning tower of Pisa with BeastBoy precariously perched at the top.

The mountain of soap suddenly collapsed, sending BeastBoy crashing to the floor beside Raven. Quickly recovering, BeastBoy looked to find that the overflow hadn't stopped. The washing machine was still spewing suds every which way, beginning to cover the surface of the floor.

"What the heck's wrong with it?" BeastBoy asked in a panic, the suds continuing to circulate throughout the room.

"Don't look at me. They're your clothes. Maybe they didn't sit well with the washing machine," Raven remarked, one hand keeping her cloak up in front of her, blocking stray soapsuds hurdling from the machine.

"Well, you started the thing. What'd you do?" he asked, his hands up as well, blocking the onslaught of soap.

"Nothing. I put the soap in and started the machine," she answered.

"No way. I put the soap in," he rebutted.

"No, I put the…"

The two looked at each other, realizing the answer to their problem. "We BOTH put the soap in," they said in unison.

Another barrage of suds burst forth from the now rampant washer, shaking too and fro. BeastBoy quickly grabbed the lid, leaping for the washer, slamming it down onto the top, ceasing the soap's escape from the machine.

BeastBoy sat on the lid, flashing a grin and giving a thumbs up as the suds seemed to die down. "Nothing I can't handle," he boasted.

Suddenly the washer began to rumble from beneath him, beginning to build up tension once more. BeastBoy anchored himself down to the washer as best he could, his legs spread across the sides attempting to dig his heels into its sides and his hands tightening their grip on opposite sides. The washer, unable to release pressure from the buildup of soap, began to gently rock back and forth. Soon, the machine was bucking like a wild bronco.

"WAAAGGHAAAAHHAAAAYYAAAHHAAAAA!" BeastBoy shouted as he held on for dear life.

After a minute of maintaining a firm hold, the soap seeping through the sides relieved BeastBoy of his grip, launching him into the air before coming down hard on top of his head where he remained upside down in the form of headstand for a few seconds before collapsing onto his back, the lid following shortly after, smacking him in the face.

"Enough is enough," Raven muttered, turning her attention to the defiant appliance, BeastBoy hardly inspiring confidence in his ability to handle the situation. "Azerath Metrion Zinthos!" she chanted loudly.

Black energy encased the washer, lifting it into the air. Raven's hands tightened, causing her powers to squeeze the offending appliance's top shut as if it were nothing more than a paper bag, sealing it off completely. Releasing her hold, the energy dissipated, setting the washer down on the ground where it remained motionless.

She made her way to where BeastBoy lay on the ground, also motionless, opening her mouth to ask if he was all right. Again, there came a rumbling from behind her. Raven turned, finding the washer still had faint signs of life, beginning to shake. Raven put her hands up in front of her, ready to let loose another dose of her powers to finally put the machine out of its misery. The shaking grew more and more intense, as Raven focused her mind, ready to destroy it if need be. Then all of a sudden it just… stopped.

The washer remained still, giving off not even a slight aftershock, not the slightest tremor. Finally, it seemed as though the machine could go no further. Raven lowered her hands slowly, deeming the battle to be over. She turned back to BeastBoy.

**BOOM!**

No sooner had Raven turned her back had the washer burst, the top shattering like a piñata, soap and water erupting equivalent to that of a volcano, filling the room with thick soapy water. The door to the laundry room opened, spilling the localized flashflood into the garage. Fortunately, Cyborg had installed numerous drains in floor to let out any spilled fluids from the T-car, which served perfectly to empty the water from the tower.

Within a few minutes, the remains of the washing machine had settled, this time for good, hardly a single part undamaged, looking unfit even for scrap. Not a single part could be salvaged, even if they wanted to. It lay on its side, a small drip falling from the side.

The laundry room was now in shambles. Everything in the room soaking wet and with a layer of soap suds three feet high off the floor. Raven's hand emerged from beneath the pillowy layer of soap, sitting up, brushing suds off of her shoulders.

"Egh," Raven sighed, slowly getting to her feet, "And to think, I thought BeastBoy couldn't mess this up. Silly me," she said dryly. Raven looked around the room, which now looked like a giant cloud, searching for any sign of the green boy. "BeastBoy?" she called, scanning the room.

BeastBoy popped his head out from underneath the suds just in front of Raven, soap bubbles clinging to his face in the shape of thick white beard. "Ho Ho Ho!" he laughed, impersonating Santa Claus.

Raven promptly smacked him in the back of the head, knocking loose the soap from his face. "That's enough, Kris Kringle," she said.

BeastBoy morphed into a puppy, shaking off the rest of the soap, spattering it onto Raven. BeastBoy resumed human form, looking around the room, turning back to Raven who was wiping off the soap. "I think the laundry's done," he said sheepishly.

"Among other things," Raven added. "Go see if you can find a mop."

"What about you?" he asked.

"I've got the hard part," she said, turning her back to him, "Figuring out a way to explain this fiasco to Robin."

"I can help," he smiled, offering his assistance. "I'm really good at stuff like that."

"Of course," Raven said sarcastically. "Who could doubt your explanation for last week's incident where you somehow managed to set fire to the kitchen."

"Hey! That was a drill," he debated, "Besides, how was I supposed to know 'non' inflammable meant it could catch fire?" BeastBoy folded his arms. "You'd think Cyborg would build a safer waffle iron. Or at least a warning label that made sense."

"And then there was last month's infraction with the city pound when they snagged you for not having a collar," she continued.

"Say what you want, that was an undercover mission," he protested. "It's not like those girls said they DIDN'T want a bodyguard," he reminisced, remembering when he'd decided to occupy the company of a few young ladies at the park in the form of a K9 shortly before he was apprehended by the dogcatcher for not having a license. Nothing more than harmless and innocent fun looking for attention that ended with the others having to come bail him out of the pound.

"And who could forget the time you…" Raven went on.

"ALRIGHT! Alright. We get it," he surrendered. "I'll be back."

BeastBoy left the room, his boots making a squishing noise from being waterlogged with each step.

Raven sighed as he left, turning her attention back to the laundry room. The soap suds began to settle, sinking lower to the ground as the water continued to drain from the room, leaving only trace amounts of soap scattered on the walls. "Well," she began, "If nothing else, we left the room cleaner than we found it."

It was now later in the afternoon, the sun beginning to set in the distance as BeastBoy lingered in the kitchen, a mop slung over his shoulder and the phone in hand. Before returning to the laundry room, he decided that since it was nearing dinnertime, and believing some manner of thanks were in order for Raven helping him for the day, he'd treat her to dinner. After all, Cyborg was still nowhere to be found, and Starfire and Robin were still engaged in their game of cat and mouse, so it was a safe bet no one was going to be around to prepare dinner.

The absence had actually been a blessing in disguise. Twice now, BeastBoy and Raven had separated momentarily from one another, once when they first arrived in the laundry room and now when BeastBoy had gone to fetch a mop. They were still in the general vicinity of one another to a point, but the last thing BeastBoy needed was Cyborg claiming victory in the bet on a technicality.

"Yeah, that's right," BeastBoy spoke into the receiver, "One extra large, half mushroom and extra cheese and half black olives." BeastBoy had no idea of Raven's preference when it came to pizza topping, but if it were anything like her preference in everything else, dark was a safe bet. And black olives seemed like the darkest thing his deduction could reason.

The order placed, BeastBoy hung up the phone. The pizza would arrive in a little while, giving them just enough time to clean up the laundry room before dinner. There was just one last problem that needed to be dealt with.

BeastBoy pulled his wallet from his pocket, opening it to allow a single moth it's freedom, fluttering out from the otherwise empty pouch. "Great," he said watching the moth take its leave, "Now how am I supposed to cover dinner?"

He walked down the hall, back towards the laundry room where he'd left Raven, hoping to surprise her later on with the prospect of a hot meal. But surprising someone with dinner and surprising someone with dinner and asking them to cover it were two completely separate things.

But there was a faint glimmer of hope.

"Okay. The pizza has to get here in thirty minutes or less," he told himself, "Otherwise, no charge."

Very few pizza parlors still maintained the 'thirty minutes or its free' policy. Fortunately for BeastBoy, this particular place he had called was one of them.

"All I gotta' do is figure out a way to make sure the pizza's late," he continued. "Maybe they won't be able to find the place."

BeastBoy passed by the window, overlooking the entire city across the ocean. They were living in a giant tower shaped like a T, visible from the edge of town and several thousands of feet up in the air. It wasn't like someone would just walk by and not see it.

"Doubt it," he shot down the idea. "Turn on Cyborg's security system and stall?"

That idea would do more harm than good. Cyborg's security system was designed to fend off attackers neutralize dangerous intruders, not courteously delay delivery boys and door-to-door salesmen. He could only imagine the rampant destruction, missile debris and blast craters everywhere. Plus, think of what it'd do to the pizza.

"I could always disguise myself and tell'em they got the wrong address. Then, by the time they come back, the time'll be up."

Again, wearing a little thin in terms of believability. Would someone actually believe there was more than one tower of the Titan's design?

"As likely as Cyborg leading meat protest, but so far, it's the best I got to go on," he said with little enthusiasm.

"Kinda' sneaky and underhanded I know," he admitted to himself in his mind, "But let's not forget, free pizza is at stake here."

BeastBoy rounded the corner, closing the distance to the laundry room.

"What I really need is somethin' to distract em'. Or better yet, scare em' just long enough to keep em' from gettin' to the door," he said optimistically. "But what in the world is that scary?"

BeastBoy opened the door to the laundry room, still deep in thought over how to go about getting around paying for the pizza. He took two steps into the room as his focus returned. Unfortunately, he couldn't have picked a worse time to become aware of his surroundings.

BeastBoy froze on the spot, dropping the mop to the ground. In his mental preparation for the pizza scheme, he'd walked in on Raven, who had been picking up her stray laundry. And just his luck, he'd stumbled in on her holding the one piece of laundry Raven had gone to great lengths to keep hidden. Raven stood, petrified, caught off guard and holding a pair of black silk underwear with two purple outlines in the shape of hearts overlapping one another. A gift from Starfire, Raven had been somehow unable to throw away.

Raven stared with wide eyes, mostly from the sudden shock of being walked in on while holding her unmentionables. She stared at BeastBoy, he stared right back. Never had there been such silence between the two. A minute passed, but it could've easily been considered an eternity between them.

BeastBoy slowly took one step back. Then another. Then another, slowly backing out of the room with the utmost of caution as if he were walking on thin ice. Once clear of the doorway, the door shut in front of him. He turned around, his back against the door, letting his mind catch up to him.

"Okay. Get a grip," he counseled himself. "I mean… that couldn't have been what it looked like. If it was, Raven would've totally freaked and started blastin' stuff left and right."

"Yeah," he agreed with himself, nodding in relief, "That couldn't have been what it looked like. Cause if it was, Raven woulda'…"

Black energy started to seep out from around the edges of the door.

**BLAM!**

The door was sent flying to the other side of the hall, smashing into the wall with BeastBoy still on the other side.

Raven emerged from the now vacant doorway, breathing heavily, an angered look on her face. She was trying to calm herself, but to no avail. She was embarrassed beyond all reason, but didn't seem to show it in the conventional sense. After all, why run to your room and lock the door, hoping everything will be forgotten when you have the ability to wreak incalculable destruction?

The door which had previously been attached to the laundry room's entrance was now embedded into the wall, BeastBoy's arms and legs protruding from underneath the sides, resembling a bug squashed by a fly swatter. With a slight creak, the door fell over flat onto the ground, revealing a shaken, disoriented, and somewhat bruised green boy driven head first into the wall behind the incredible momentum of the launched fixture. Loosing suction against the wall, he fell, or rather peeled off the wall landing with his back once more against the door.

BeastBoy slowly regained his bearings, looking up only to find Raven standing over him, almost able to feel the heat coming off her angry stare. He may have been lying on the ground on outside, but he was running on the inside. She had a look to her a person might get while considering to push someone in front of oncoming traffic, cold yet calm. And in this scenario, Raven was the oncoming traffic.

Grabbing him by the collar, Raven pulled him up, holding him just off the ground, his weight meaning nothing to her anger driven strength. "How much did you see?" she demanded, fireballs flaring in her pupils.

"U-u-uh….N-nothing. Nothing, I swear," he said nervously, hands up in front of him, "I was just… um… lookin' at the mess and… and got a little overwhelmed at all the work we gotta' do. It just looked a lot worse than I thought, that's all."

After a brief pause, studying his fear and regret, Raven released him, allowing him to stand on his own. "Good," she said, taking a deep breath, closing her eyes.

"Yeah," he said relieved, "I was so freaked out about the mess, I didn't even have time to notice your black underwear with the purple hearts."

BeastBoy slapped both hands over his mouth.

"Right," Raven replied, calmly.

It took less than a second for her to realize what he'd just said, bringing about her delayed response. Her eyes snapped open, her previous angry look evolving to enraged. Her teeth gritted, her fists clenched, and her eyes giving off a malevolent shade of red, she seemed to tower over BeastBoy, black tentacles of energy wavering around her like something out of one of BeastBoy's late night horror movies. She seemed to grow in size, more and more energy amassing beneath her, looking down at BeastBoy as if he were a small wounded animal as she was about to move in for the kill.

BeastBoy could only quiver in fear. "U-U-U-Uh…. R-R-R-Rav-v-v-ven?" he asked, trying to force a weak smile.

"EEEERRRRRRRRAAAAARRRRRGGGGGHHHH!" Raven snarled, bearing down at him. It became clear that, at least for the moment, she was beyond all rational means of being reasoned with. Her emotions were in the driver's seat now, and Raven was just along for the ride.

Today was a famous first for BeastBoy. He had annoyed Raven in the past. On rare occasions, he'd even managed to anger her to mild levels. But today, he'd done the impossible. He'd made Raven go from angry, to ANGRY angry.

BeastBoy had witnessed this side of Raven before, but never aimed directly at him. And from an objective standpoint, there two options open to him. One, accept that a mistake had been made, attempt to apologize, and take what was coming to him. Or two…

"Eh heh-heh," he managed a nervous laugh, "Well, the second thing I need to do is get a clean pair of shorts," he said taking a step backwards.

Raven moved forward, matching the distance he'd taken.

"But first, I think it'd be best if I…" he took another step back.

Again, Raven matched his distance stepping towards him, her anger unwavering.

"RUN!" BeastBoy turned, bolting down the hall at top speed as fast as his legs would carry him, prompting Raven to give chase.

BeastBoy ran down the halls, through corridor after corridor, Raven close behind taking to the air, flying through the hallway after him. He was running scared. Not in a playful, "Ooh, she's gonna' get me" scared. Nor a serious, "I never got to make out a will" scared. More like a "Hell hath no fury like a woman scorned" kind of scared.

BeastBoy remained a constant lead ahead of Raven, though not by much. He was running as fast as he'd ever run in his life, but all he had to do to surpass it was look behind him at the pair of blood red eyes drawing ever near, a wicked smile on the pearly whites of his pursuer, obviously relishing his fear and contemplating his fate upon his capture.

Raven's chakra gave off a burst of energy, opening a hole in the floor a few meters in front of BeastBoy, hoping to trap him. However BeastBoy responded in time, morphing into a kangaroo two steps in front of the sizable pit, leaping over it with ease. In mid air, he transformed into a horse, galloping at top speed reaching the ground.

Raven let out a low growl as the green horse galloped just out of her reach. Spreading her hands out in front of her, segments of the floor shot up to the sides of the corridor, acting as barriers to slow if not stop BeastBoy. He dodged to the left, then to the right, then left again swerving out of the path of the chunks of risen steel and concrete, almost as if it were an obstacle course. With a violent swing of one hand, another piece of floor ascended upwards, this time dead center in the middle of the hallway. The horse leaped the barrier as if it were nothing more than a hurdle on a racetrack.

Raven grinned, bringing down her hand, descending a chunk of the ceiling right in the path of the airborne stallion. In mid air, he couldn't dodge. He'd smack right into the wall, disorienting him long enough to be caught. At least, if he wasn't a shape shifter, that is.

BeastBoy crashed through the ceiling barrier, taking the form of a rhino, scattering debris into the air. Just as he landed on the ground, he changed form again, this time into a cheetah, gaining a more significant amount of distance between him and Raven, accelerating low to the ground. Raven fumed, smashing through both obstacles from above and below the hall, her temper still giving no signs of letting up.

BeastBoy rounded the corner still in cheetah form, temporarily disappearing from view of Raven as she continued after him. Raven turned the corner as well, coming to an abrupt halt. BeastBoy was nowhere to be found. Instead, two branching paths, one hallway to the left, one to the right stood before her, both leading in completely opposite directions navigating throughout the tower.

Raven glanced down one, then the other, narrowing her demonic stare as her prey had momentarily eluded her. With a bitter growl, she flew down the right corridor, no real hint of it being the right path, merely impatient to resume her chase.

Seconds later, BeastBoy popped out from under a crack in the lower portion of the wall, this time as a mouse. Taking a moment, partially to catch his breath, he scanned the hallway, perking up his more sensitive rodent ears, making certain Raven was indeed gone.

"Phew!" he breathed, resuming human form, "That was close."

BeastBoy dusted himself off, checking for any visible injuries. Sure he was a little sore, but that was to be expected considering Raven had nearly put him through the ringer.

"I would SO NOT wanna' be the next person who crosses paths with Raven. Not like this," he said with a smile, trying to look at the lighter side of the situation, namely his escape.

That's when it dawned on him.

"Wait," he looked back down the right corridor, which Raven had taken. "If Raven went that way. And that hall leads to the…"

His head shot up, checking his communicator, which had a small digital readout of the time.

"Uh oh," he murmured.

BeastBoy took off, running down the hallway after Raven.

Outside Titan's Tower, a boy in his late teens approached the front door. Thick glasses, greasy hair, and a face scattered with heavy acne, he was dressed in a red, green, and white uniform and ball cap sporting a logo with a slice of pizza. BeastBoy's dinner was right on schedule.

Holding the pizza box in one hand, he raised his other hand to knock at the door. "Pizza delivery for…"

Before his knuckles could make contact with the surface of the door, a shadowy figure lunged out of the surface of the door, eyes burning, catching the delivery bo by surprise. Black tendrils flowing from beneath her cloak, highlighting her already terrifying stature, Raven hung in the air above the delivery boy, scouring for any sign of the green boy who had eluded her. Snarling in anger, she looked all around, but found no trace of him. There was no one there. No one but the delivery boy.

Raven looked down. Lowering closer to the ground, her eyes trained on the quivering teen in front of her. He was shaking like a leaf, stuttering, trying to find words to sum up his obvious fear to match his terrified expression. Raven's lips curled, an evil smirk making it's way onto her face, highlighting the malevolent glow in her eyes. He wasn't BeastBoy, but for now, he'd do.

Raven sank closer, still hanging in the air, black energy sharpening into curved blades moving in from all sides as if prone to strike and impale the boy at first twitch.

"EEEEEEYYYYYYAAAAAAHHHHHHHH!" the delivery boy screamed, finally getting his mind to transmit signals to his legs to move. He took off running towards the far side of the tower.

Raven's darkened persona could almost taste his fear, savoring every scream, relishing in his terror. "How nice," she said in a dark, devious tone, "Fast food."

Raven chased after the delivery boy, swiping at his feet with energy bursts, all of them near misses, merely expanding the sheer horror pulsing through his veins. But because the tower was in the middle of an island, all the poor boy could do was run in circles, continually passing each side of the tower. All the while, Raven remained close behind, cackling, as her display of superiority over the delivery boy seemed to amuse and entice her dark influence.

By his third lap around the tower, fatigue began to set in. The delivery boy was starting to tire, panting heavily. He looked behind him at the grinning figure gaining on him, and with the sun down, the darkness around them only added to the evil look in her expression, making his predicament look all the more bleak.

As he rounded the side of the tower for the forth time, a hand reached out, grabbing him and pulling him behind a mid sized rock formation at the foot of the tower just before Raven came around the bend after him, flying by too quickly to notice. Breathing heavily, but aware he was still far from out of danger, he did so quietly, glad he'd been pulled into hiding before he was about to give up and pass out.

"T-t-thanks," he heaved. It was then the identity of his rescuer became clear.

BeastBoy peered around the rocks, making certain Raven hadn't seen him or their hiding spot. They'd be safe. For a while at least.

"Hey, you're that green dude," he said, recognizing him.

"Yeah, yeah," he whispered, more pressing things to worry about than introductions, "Thrilled I'm sure. Just keep it down." He raised a finger to his lips, shushing him, taking another look out from behind the rocks.

The delivery boy lowered his voice, peering out from behind the rock beside him. "S-so… is that like a… bad guy, or monster or… something?" he asked, still uneasy. Apparently, he wasn't even able to recognize Raven in her change of persona.

"Trust me. THAT is way scarier than any bad guy, monster, or any other thing you can imagine," BeastBoy corrected.

"Whoa," he replied in shock and awe.

Deeming the coast to be clear, BeastBoy turned back to the delivery boy. "Now, I believe you have something for me?" he held out his hand.

"Oh, yeah," he remembered. He held up the pizza box. In his haste to keep from being maimed, it was all he had to cling to, not relinquishing it the entire time.

BeastBoy grabbed the box, letting his fingertips soak in the warmth from the bottom of the box as the fragrant greasy smell reached his nose.

"That'll be thirteen fifty," the delivery boy held out his hand for payment. "And if ya don't mind," he said, fear regaining its hold on him, "Could ya make it quick?"

"Sorry, dude," he answered, stowing the pizza box under his arm, reaching for his communicator, "You're two minutes late."

The delivery boy observed the readout of the time, inclined to argue, especially considering what he'd been through. "No, no. No way, man. Ya can't fool me," he said rolling up his sleeve to get a better look at his own wrist watch, "You just set your clock thingy or whatever ahead. I got this pizza here in no less than…"

He stared at his watch.

"Well," BeastBoy asked with a confident grin awaiting a response.

There was a short pause. "Thirty THREE minutes," he said defeated. The clock had still been running the whole time. Technically, he hadn't knocked on the door, nor had he called to any one for the delivery.

"Whelp," BeastBoy began, stepping out from behind the rock, "It was a nice try. Better luck next time." BeastBoy began to head back to the tower.

The delivery boy began to head back the way he'd come, slumped over in depression that the pizza he'd been sent to deliver would be deducted from his paycheck. Suddenly, he stopped, giving time to think the matter through more thoroughly. "Hey! Wait a sec," he exclaimed. He ran back, grabbing BeastBoy by the shoulder, turning him to face him. "How do I know you didn't set this whole thing up?"

"What?" BeastBoy asked in confusion. He wasn't serious, was he? BeastBoy? Plan?

"Yeah, sure," he rested his hands on his sides, a firm accusing look down at the green boy, "You probably staged this whole thing. Why else would that… that… THING had come after me right as I was about to deliver the pizza? You probably got that thing workin' for you, don't ya?"

BeastBoy gave an unconvinced look. A plan that elaborate was one thing to be accused of, but insinuating Raven was by any means under his control? How far fetched can you get? "Dude, do you have any idea what you're saying?"

"Totally. You set me up!" he gave a hard look, holding out his hand, "And I ain't leavin' til I get paid."

"You're in for a long wait, bud. Thirty minutes or it's free, that's the deal with the pizza. You weren't on time, so you don't get one dime," he said defiantly, his smile lingering.

The delivery boy grabbed BeastBoy by his uniform, pulling him up, nose to nose. "Over my dead body," the delivery boy said angrily.

BeastBoy looked above him, his smile widening. He raised his arm, pointing, gesturing for him to turn around.

Slowly, the delivery boy turned, not even half way before a sinking feeling dawned once more in the pit of his stomach. He looked to find Raven above him, her cloak wafting in the breeze, her face plastered with an insidious grin. "You read my mind," she said evilly.

His teeth began to chatter, his knees shaking, more scared than before. In his panic, he'd released BeastBoy who casually dusted himself off. The delivery remained stiff and unmoving, Raven beginning her descent towards him.

BeastBoy tapped him on the shoulder, whispering in his ear. "This is the part where you run screaming like a little girl," he hinted with grin, offering a suggestion for his next move.

"EEEEEEEEEAAAAAAAHHHHHAAAAAAHHAAAAAAAA!" he screamed, almost enough to collapse a lung, possibly permanently changing the tone of his voice forever.

The delivery boy took off, throwing caution to the wind, diving head first into the ocean and swimming frantically for land. It was probably a safe bet he'd be looking for a new job when he came on shore.

Raven merely watched as the boy fled, a content smile brought about by her actions, pleased that she had made others cower before her very being.

"Nice job, Raven," BeastBoy broke the silence, patting her on the back, "Now let's eat."

Raven's head creaked slowly, meeting him with the same malicious look she'd given the delivery boy, apparently not forgetting who her original target had been.

BeastBoy, eyes wide, took a step back. "Heh heh. Guess you're still mad about the whole underwear thing, huh?" he chuckled nervously. In case Raven had forgotten, he'd just unwittingly reminded her.

Raven floated closer.

BeastBoy took a much larger step backwards. "Yeah, We should probably head back inside now. Ya know, have dinner in the safety and comfort of our kitchen," he forced, beginning to sweat.

Raven moved closer.

BeastBoy swallowed hard. "Or a bomb shelter," he whispered under his breath. "Well!" he perked up, "See back insi-OOF!"

BeastBoy smacked into a wall, which had seemingly come from nowhere.

Raven was one step ahead of him this time, summoning walls of black energy from all around them, boxing him in. Raven's teeth were bared in an evil grin. He had nowhere to run, and he couldn't break down these barriers. His fate was sealed.

Raven moved closer to him as he backed against the wall. She moved slowly, giving the fear and desperation time to fully sink in. She watched as he dropped the pizza box, turning into a gorilla, pounding his large forearms against the wall. Not faltering even slightly under three or four massive swings, he then changed into a hawk, attempting to fly over the wall. But just as he was about to clear the top, another sheet of black energy slid over the top, forcing him to turn around, soaring back to the ground.

"Ah ah ah," she scolded mockingly, waving a finger, taking another step.

BeastBoy morphed into a gopher, attempting to tunnel out of this predicament. He couldn't go through, he couldn't go over, and so going under was his last hope. His furry green paws swiped at the ground furiously, digging fast and deep into the ground. His body was halfway submerged beneath the soil, seeming as though he might yet have a chance of escape.

**ZAP!**

A black burst of energy expelled him from the ground like a geyser, tossing him into air before hitting the surface with a tiny thud. He was now officially cut off from all escape. He got to his feet, still a gopher, shaking off the impact.

Raven took another step toward the tiny creature, seeming of behemoth like stature to his reduced size. He morphed into a dog, turning to scratch at the energy wall with his paw, whimpering as if wanting to be let outside through a doggy door.

"Nowhere to run," she smirked in a dark tone, "Nowhere to hide."

BeastBoy reverted back to human form. "Come on, Raven," he almost pleaded, "This is all just a big misunderstanding."

Raven continued to advance.

"It was an accident. And not that big of one really," he mused. "I mean, it's not like I walked in on you naked or anything, right?"

Raven's previously amused look faded to a glare of doom.

"That's it! I'm outta here!" his brain said, shutting down, finding BeastBoy to be a lost cause, "You're on your own buddy."

BeastBoy stood facing Raven. A particularly angry Raven who'd most likely mount his head on the wall. He was out of options. He couldn't run, there was no place to hide, and if she hadn't calmed herself by now, then what else was left to do?

"R-Raven," he started, somewhat intimidated but trying to keep his nerves together.

After all, this was still Raven. But, what was coming towards him was only one part of her. The part that was currently in command, overshadowing the rest of Raven's emotions and control. The part that was stored among Raven's emotions with a permanent 'do not disturb' sign. Never the less, she stemmed from Raven's being, possibly still open to Raven's influence. So, maybe he could still reason with her. Or at the very least get her to let him off the hook with any punishment that didn't concern disemboweling.

"Uh… look. I know you're still kinda' mad," he choked out.

Raven gave a low growl, coming to a stop less than four steps away from him.

"Check that, you're still kinda' REALLY mad," smiled sheepishly. "And… you have every right to be. But, come on. Is seeing your underwear really a crime punishable by death?"

Raven narrowed her eyes, unable to tell if he was being serious or merely stalling for time. If that was the case, he was merely prolonging the inevitable.

"It's not really that big a deal," he shrugged. "And, as a show of good faith, I'll prove it. Watch."

BeastBoy unfastened his belt buckle, letting his pants drop to his ankles, exposing his two green skinned legs sticking out of a pair of dark purple boxer shorts with dark green paw prints embedded on them.

Raven turned away, the color of her face matching the color of her eyes. Manifestation of anger or not, it was still a part of a young girl's set of emotions.

"See? I'm not goin' all coo-coo bananas," he mused, blushing a bit himself, but not nearly as much as Raven. "Although… I can see how it'd make ya a bit… uh… like you are now."

Raven's red eyes took brief glimpses to the side, quickly looking away, not wishing or able to look at him dead on. At least, not until he pulled up his pants.

"And… I know this probably goes without saying," he scratched the back of his head, looking down at the ground in a shy manner, "But… I never said it out loud, so I guess I at least owe ya that much."

Raven looked back at him, but keeping her view centered above, squarely on his face, still not totally trusting of him, an angry stare still present.

"I'm… uh," he tried to stutter an apology. "I'm really… really sorr-" BeastBoy shifted his weight forward just a bit too quickly to make a step towards Raven, trying to balance himself, but severely limited in movement with his pants still around his ankles, "-EEEEEEEEIIIIIEEIIIIIEEEE!" he teetered.

BeastBoy fell backwards, but shifted his body enough to turn around, now falling face first, hoping to be able to stop himself by putting his hands out to push off against the ground before his entire body landed. His head had taken more than it's fair share of damage today already. He didn't need more.

BeastBoy's hands made contact with the ground before the rest of him. Unfortunately, he had fallen too quickly, not enough response time or distance to brace the rest of him from smacking the surface. BeastBoy pushed anyway, doing his best to merely soften the impact.

For the most part, it'd worked. BeastBoy's upper body and mid section only sustained a minor jab against the ground. However, everything above the neck wasn't quite so lucky. He'd forgotten about the pizza box which he'd dropped earlier, a short distance behind him and with the top of the box open from all the commotion earlier. BeastBoy's face had landed dead center in the pizza with a splat, portions of cheese contouring around the sides of his face.

Raven leaned forward, her angry glare unchanged, looking down as he tried to pull himself up.

BeastBoy rolled over, sitting up, the entire pizza still clinging to his face, blinding him. Placing both hands firmly on the sides of the pizza's crust, he pulled forcefully to remove the pizza, now suctioned onto his face from the pressure and moisture of his face having sunk in. It took three or four mighty tugs, but he was finally able to remove it. Upon doing so, Raven's angry stare faltered.

BeastBoy's face was now covered with a thin layer of melted cheese and slight droplets of tomato sauce dripping from below his chin. Two mushrooms were in place of his eyes and a curved trail of black olives drew a smile on his face. He looked almost like a snowman, but with pizza topping instead of snow.

Raven's eyes were still filled with anger over the thought of him seemingly making light of this situation. She stared coldly and unflinching at him and his ridiculous getup.

The side of her mouth curled briefly. Then again, her lips beginning to tremble. Her lips began to curl, holding this time.

BeastBoy sat on the ground, still blinded, trying to rub the mozzarella from his eyes, but only twisting the mushrooms on his outer skin of pizza, making it seem more as though they were blinking like a second set of eyes.

"Hmm hmm," came what sounded like a low snicker from under Raven's breath.

BeastBoy tried to peel the pizza off as if it were a mask. It started to give as he pried at it, peeling it off an upper portion of his face. But just as it was about to clear the halfway mark, parting his nose, it snapped back like rubber, slapping his almost freed face.

"Heh heh," Raven attempted to mask what could've been interpreted as a low chuckle.

BeastBoy could swear he'd almost heard something. He hadn't forgotten Raven was still there in the midst of his situation, and still the mindset of weighing her options on how to dismember him if she so chose.

"Raven?" he called, muffled from beneath the layer of cheese hanging over his mouth, somewhat alarmed from not being able to see.

BeastBoy tugged at the facemask of pizza, more determined, curious as to what was happening around him regarding Raven. Placing both hands on the right side of his face, he dug his fingers as deep as he could into the cheese, just shy of his ear, pooling all his strength for one last pull.

With a swift yank from both hands, putting every last ounce of energy into his grip, he tore the pizza remains from his face.

"OOOOOWWWW!" BeastBoy cried, his eyes wide, caught off guard from the pain. The pizza was now off, but when BeastBoy had originally landed in the cheese, it'd stuck to several clumps of hair along his forehead. Ripping the pizza off tore away what scattered bits of hair had been stuck in the layer of cheese along the top his face.

BeastBoy massaged his scalp gingerly. The damage wasn't too severe. No one would notice what hair had been yanked out, but it still stung something fierce. But BeastBoy didn't have time to fully survey the damage, as something else caught his attention.

He slowly looked up to find Raven, a smirk on her face with hardly an enraged influence, forcing back a giggle. Her restraint didn't last long, watching as one last gob of cheese slipped off the side of his face. Raven let loose a small fit of mild laughter. She wasn't falling over laughing at the top of her lungs, nor was she in tears from laughing so hard, but it was still mild laughter.

BeastBoy didn't know whether to be proud or embarrassed. He'd made Raven laugh. Though, he wasn't sure if making Raven laugh AT him was what he'd always hoped for.

Raven lowered her head, still laughing in amusement over the whole thing, her red eyes shimmering with every laugh. Suddenly, she sprang up straight, her eyes wide with a gasp, her hands clutching her chest. Raven's eyes closed, the shock seeming to diminish. After a few seconds passed, she reopened them.

Her eyes were no longer a crimson red, but her normal deep blue eyes, her expression returning to neutral. Apparently, the laughter had weakened her angered state enough for her to retake control, relinquishing anger's hold over her. She merely stared in space.

BeastBoy sat there amidst the whole change, wondering what to make of it, if this was Raven, or another emotional counterpart at the helm. "Raven?" he asked, not moving from his spot, "Is that you?"

Raven looked down at him, an empty stare meeting eyes with him.

"I mean… I know it's you. But… are you…you?" he asked softly.

Raven looked deep into his eyes. He looked right back.

**SMACK!**

BeastBoy was backhanded across the side of his head.

"Agh!" he yelped lightly, rubbing his head, "Yup. You're you."

Raven's look quickly shifted to annoyed. "Do you have any idea what could've happened? Do you realize just how lucky you are I retook control when I did? Do you have ANY grasp of how much trouble you could've caused?" she vented, keeping her temper in check.

"Um… Yes. Yes. And… Yes?" he answered with a nervous smile.

"Ugh," Raven covered her face with her hand, getting the feeling he wasn't taking this seriously, "Why do I even try?"

"Raven, look it's okay. See? Me, here, alive," he explained. "Although, we… might have to think of a reason to explain why the tower's gonna' need repairs," he chuckled.

"Buildings can be rebuilt, people can't," she said sternly.

BeastBoy's smile vanished.

Raven sighed, calming herself. It wasn't like BeastBoy had planned on walking in on her when he did, but he still seemed to be making light of the situation. "Look, BeastBoy," she began, her expression softening, "My life isn't worth much."

BeastBoy's head tilted, listening in confusion, not knowing where she was going. He was expecting another berating or a scolding on his childish behavior.

"If something happens to me? I'm ready to take the fall," she said solemnly, looking up at the night sky. "But if something happens to anyone else, I don't want that on my head."

BeastBoy's face saddened at the sound of how little she thought of herself.

Raven shut her eyes, still looking up at the sky. At least now, she felt as though he understood.

**SPLAT!**

A slice of pizza struck Raven in the side of the head, slowly dribbling down her cheek, leaving a trail of tomato sauce along the way. Her annoyance renewed, she looked back down at BeastBoy, who for some reason seemed proud, a sly smirk across his face.

"DO… YOU… HAVE… A DEATHWISH!" she fumed, clenching her fists.

"Hey, I just didn't want anyone to get the feeling you were goin' soft on me," he grinned.

She grabbed him by the collar. "They might not think so 'soft' of me when they see how HARD I HIT," she glared at him, energy forming above her in the form of a giant mallet.

BeastBoy looked up at the large crackling hammer, laughing nervously. "There's the Raven I know and love," he said.

Raven paused, taking a moment for his statement to register. Quickly snapping back to reality, she threw him to the ground, turning her back to him, folding her arms, hiding her blush. "Oh, what's the point?" she said, forcing annoyance in her voice. Hitting him didn't seem a worthwhile threat if he wasn't scared. Plus, of all the words he could've used.

"Look, Raven. You can be as depressing as you wanna' be without feelin' sorry for yourself," he said sincerely, only a half smile to show his seriousness. "You can punish me all ya want, but don't punish yourself."

Raven's previously tense shoulders eased slightly, her back still to him.

"I know!" he exclaimed, causing Raven to turn halfway, "How bout' we get you to make a promise so this doesn't happen again."

Raven gave a doubtful look, unable to tell if he was serious or not.

"Raise your right hand," he instructed, raising his hand.

Raven rolled her eyes, looking away.

"Come on!" he nagged, "Raise your right hand."

With a heavy sigh, feeling he wouldn't give her a moment's peace until she did so, Raven raised her right hand, turning fully to face him.

"Now, repeat after me," he said, "I promise…"

Raven was silent.

"I promise…" BeastBoy repeated.

"I promise…" Raven finally uttered.

"To not feel all gloomy and stuff about me…"

"To not feel gloomy 'and stuff' about me…" Raven continued, finding it unusual to talk in the same mannerism as BeastBoy.

"To only get mad in small doses so I don't wreck stuff…"

"To only get mad in small doses so I don't wreck stuff…"

"And not to totally kill BeastBoy even though I'm so totally jealous of his funny jokes and good looks," he finished with a grin.

There was a short pause. "And not to kill BeastBoy for his poor humor and vanity," she ended.

"Hey, you adlibbed that last part," he complained, but with a smile.

"I don't want you to think I'm going soft on you," she said in her empty tone he'd come to know so well.

BeastBoy grinned. "Well, now that that's outta' the way, how bout' some pizza?" he asked, holding up the pizza box, revealing a few slices that were absent of the imprint of his face.

Raven placed a hand on her stomach. She was rather hungry from all the energy she'd released. After all, chasing BeastBoy with intent to kill while under the subconscious control of an emotion of unbridled anger really worked up an appetite.

"Alright," she accepted, "Just one thing."

BeastBoy held out the open pizza box in front of her.

"Could you please pull your pants up?" she said, looking away as her cheeks grew with color.

BeastBoy gave a confused look. "EEK!" he shrieked, looking down. Sure enough, his pants had been around his ankles the whole time. He quickly popped the box into the air, allowing Raven to catch it as he quickly pulled them up.

_"Aw, man!"_ he said to himself mentally, _"How unfair is this? All I got was a peek at Raven's underwear, and she wasn't even in em'."_

Letting the thought slide, the two sat on the rocks by the shore of Titan's tower, looking out across the sea and up at the stars as the ate, too exhausted to head back inside.

A short time later, the two had finished, two and a half eaten crusts resting inside the box, all that remained of the pizza. Despite everything it'd gone through, including attachment to BeastBoy's face, it didn't taste half bad. Except for one slice BeastBoy had coughed up, finding traces of his pulled hair in it, which he promptly picked off, eating it anyway, much to Raven's disgust.

"I can't believe you ate seven whole slices," she said, reclining against the rocks.

"I'm just glad you ate the last three," he patted his now bloated belly.

"Don't tell me you'd have actually eaten the whole thing," she asked, glancing his way.

"I just don't want perfectly good food to go to waste," he leaned against his hands, lying back on the ground, "Not after all the trouble we went through to get it," he grinned.

"About that," Raven said, dismally.

BeastBoy looked over at her. Another talking to headed his way?

"Any chance tomorrow… we could… find a Chinese food restaurant that delivers in thirty minutes or it's free?" she asked bashfully, looking out over the ocean.

BeastBoy merely smiled, not bothering to ruin it by asking if she was serious. She probably wasn't. But still, the idea of him and Raven working together to con free food, doing the whole 'possessed anger' bit struck him as funny.

"How bout some late night tv watchin'?" he asked, getting to his feet, offering his hand.

Raven courteously accepted, pulling herself up and dusting herself off. "Anything, so long as it's none of that mindless ill conceived dribble you normally watch," she said as they walked up the shore.

"What's that supposed mean?" he asked, having trouble understanding some of Raven's bigger words.

"BeastBoy, most of the shows and movies you watch are so far fetched, the story doesn't seem real," she added.

"It's not real. It's all just pretend," he explained, "Like the boogeyman, or the tooth fairy, or professional wrestling."

"I'm surprised Santa Clause didn't make that list," she commented.

BeastBoy gasped. "YOU TAKE THAT BACK! HE'S REAL!" he pointed, "NOBODY BAD MOUTHS THE BIG GUY IN FRONT OF ME!"

"Fine. Fine, I take it back," she said, choosing not to knock BeastBoy's beliefs, "Santa's as real as real can be," she said sarcastically, twirling a finger in the air.

"Okay then," he calmed down.

"Seriously, I know most of those shows are fake, but the things that happen in them just… happen," she said, getting back on topic, "Certain events seem to transpire at just the right time and without any explanation at all."

BeastBoy thought about it for a moment. "Oh, I get it. Ya mean like how good guys just narrowly get outta' whatever kinda' trap is set for 'em when they coulda' gotten out right away from the start?" he sighted, using one of his superhero cartoons as a reference.

"That would be one, yes," she agreed.

"Or how the good guys always seem to know where to find the bad guys and show up just as they're about to start causing trouble," he continued.

"Exactly," Raven nodded, nearing the tower, opening the door, "Or how the 'good guys' get pizza delivered so quickly despite the fact that they live in a tower in the middle of the ocean."

BeastBoy walked inside behind Raven. "Totally," he agreed, "That kinda' stuff bugs the heck outta' me," he agreed, closing the door behind him.

Meanwhile, somewhere on the Eastern seaboard, a young boy writing diligently at his computer looked up from his typing, his ears burning as if somehow getting the feeling he'd been mentioned.

"Hey, it's a cartoon," the author said as if his readers were listening, "Not EVERYTHING has to make sense." And with that, he smiled, turning his attention back to our story at hand.

**Next Chapter:** So much time has passed between the two, but there is still so much to go. And while they've proven they're not totally impervious to flaring tempers at one another, the penalties that follow have been far less severe. Will their first week together cap off as pleasantly as everything else thus far?


	10. In Sickness and In Health

**Quality Time**

**Chapter 10: In Sickness and In Health**

It was now the next morning as Beastboy and Raven walked side by side down the hall. After a fair amount of late night television watching, as was BeastBoy's preference, the two had called it a night relatively early. Somewhat out of character for BeastBoy, considering he'd usually stay up to catch the late night programs and low budget cable movies until just shy of the early hours of the morning. But now, BeastBoy had to pace himself. After all, sticking by Raven was enough of a challenge without him having to fight off exhaustion as well. It probably wouldn't be the most flattering way of getting on Raven's good side if he couldn't keep his eyes open for more than ten seconds. Not that she probably wouldn't mind the silence followed by the sound of BeastBoy collapsing onto the floor like a hunk of dead wood. Given the circumstances, it would be easy to picture him conked out on the floor, sleeping soundly, as Raven dragged him by the ankle like luggage to wherever she needed to go. Funnier still would be if the others happened upon such a scene, perhaps coming to the conclusion that she'd done away with the troublesome green boy and was perhaps searching for a way of disposing of the body.

But this would not be the case as the two walked alongside one another in route to the kitchen. Though, today something seemed a bit off. The both of them walked drastically slower than usual, almost a tired look in their eyes. Of course, that was how BeastBoy casually looked on a daily basis from his late night habits. But, he had gotten a full night's rest, and even when he hadn't he never once looked this bad. Curious still, Raven was a mirror image of his condition. Highly irregular for Raven who, despite less than a cheery outlook on mornings, was typically wide-awake. Whatever the reason, it was certainly not from lack of sleep, but there were definite signs of fatigue about them. Neither looked eager to start the day, instead rather run down. Their eyes were opened just enough to navigate down the hall, not wishing more than the necessary exposure of light to their pupils.

BeastBoy's posture was slumped over, his shoulders drooped, his arms hanging down past his sides. He could barely muster the energy to fully lift his feet from the ground with each step. His complexion of a once healthy grass green had dropped a few shades, now closer to a pale lime green.

"Feeling a little run down?" Raven asked casually, keeping her line of sight forward and her voice predictably dull.

BeastBoy straightened up slightly. "No," he answered quickly, trying to mask how right she was, glancing between her and the hallway straight ahead. "Nope. Not me. Never better." BeastBoy thumped his chest with a chuckle, trying to illustrate he was the picture of health.

"Then how come you look like an act for dead?" Raven questioned, this time shifting her view to the side to observe his obviously false act of being fine.

"Nah. You're just imagining things," he merely laughed off. However, his short laugh was cut even shorter as his brief laugh suddenly triggered an intense headache, causing him to hold his forehead. BeastBoy briefly fell behind to rub his forehead, hoping to dull the pain even slightly before quickly catching up beside Raven.

"That's quite an imagination I have," she replied in her usual sarcastic tone as he resumed pace with her.

BeastBoy frowned in response.

"BeastBoy, you've got all the signs of a person on the verge of, or being, sick," she explained. "Why don't you just go back to your room and sit today out?"

"I'm fine," he insisted, straightening up even more and forcing his eyes open further, his childlike stubbornness surfacing. "I'm just… not a morning person."

"Under normal circumstances, that would be true, but even you don't have a reason for looking like this. Not when you actually got a full nights rest and didn't waste the entire night watching one of your late night movie marathons," she lectured.

"Okay, first of all," he got ahead of her, stopping in front, "Atomic Zombies is one of, if not THE only, late late late movies worth watching," he pointed out with his adolescent logic. "And secondly, what makes you such an expert on people gettin' sick?"

"Oh, please," Raven rolled her eyes, "I don't have to be a doctor to be able to tell there's something wrong with you, and not just the usual things that are 'wrong' with you."

One of Raven's high points, no matter what the potential problem or situation, she could always find a way to sneak in a remark at BeastBoy's expense.

He lowered his bottom eyelid with his index finger, sticking out his tongue at Raven's crack at him. A typical BeastBoy response.

"For starters, that headache of yours," she began to list.

BeastBoy folded his arms. "Uh… that doesn't prove anything," he stammered. "I just… um… uh… laughed too hard. Yeah! That's it," his face brightened finding that answer to be believable. "Happens when you're as hilarious as me."

"There's another sign you're falling ill. You're delirious," she said dryly.

BeastBoy gave another hardly amused look.

"Third, you're clearly tired," she counted off.

"Hmph," BeastBoy turned on his heel, his back to Raven. "I'd like to see ya prove that."

"Simple. I can tell by the way you're dressed," she answered.

BeastBoy looked curiously over his shoulder, a doubtful look on his face. "And just WHAT is wrong with how I'm dressed?" he asked with a confident smirk, thinking she was just trying to confuse him.

"Nothing," she shrugged, "Except that your uniform is on backwards."

"Huh?" BeastBoy responded. "What makes ya say that?"

"Hard to say," she gave an empty look at his back which was still to her, "Either it's because of how the stitching looks, how the material bunches up slightly in the back, or more likely how the fly is on your backside."

BeastBoy's eyes shot wide open, momentarily unsure if she was just messing with him, but in truth trying to give himself false hope. And above all else just praying that…

"And I think I should also mention that the zipper is down."

He looked over his shoulder down his back. Sure enough, finding his uniform was on backwards and his fly open on his posterior revealing a glimpse of his (thankfully normal green and not animal oriented) boxers.

"Eek!" BeastBoy gave a low shriek, spinning around to face Raven, both hands behind his back as if to hide being exposed. His fatigue seemed to disappear almost instantly, wide eyed, backpedaling around the corner to correct the mistake. Raven simply stood there, several feet from the corner of the hallway, looking away from the sounds of BeastBoy changing, too tired to register any trace amount of slight embarrassment.

After a minute or so, BeastBoy emerged, walking back over to Raven. His outfit no longer an issue, his eyes started to weigh heavily once more. He took his place beside Raven, about to continue their way to the main room.

"Now, what was that about not being sick?" Raven asked calmly, yet somehow making it sound as if she were mocking him.

The two resumed walking. "Okay, maybe I'm a little tired. Maybe," he stressed, "But that still doesn't prove I'm sick."

Raven gave him a look that seemed to say, 'you've gotta' be kidding'. "On top of all that, you're positively pale," she listed further, pointing out BeastBoy's lack of color.

"So?" BeastBoy shrugged, "If ya count pale, you've been sick since I've known you."

Raven narrowed her eyes straight-ahead, unable to find a way to argue that particular point. She was keenly aware her own complexion had faded as well, but had been originally prepared to deny it. But if BeastBoy had noticed, then it must've been more obvious than she thought.

"Besides, you're not one to talk. You've got all the same stuff as me," he began to counter her own previous observations. "You're tired. You're irritable. But then, what else is new," he said, saying that last part a little softer.

Raven gave an irked glance at him on that last one, clearly hearing it.

BeastBoy looked her over, trying to find any other signs of her being ill. "Ya don't seem to have a headache though," he said comparing her state to his own.

"On the contrary. I have the largest headache in medical history," she said lightly massaging her temple with her thumb and two fingers, "It's five foot nothing, green, and thrives on tofu."

BeastBoy exchanged one of Raven's casual annoyed looks.

Neither one seeming to admit it, they were both clearly sick. Their symptoms were identical to one another. Clear signs of fatigue, headaches, lack of color, all signs of the early stages of the flu. Though they were both unwilling to admit it for whatever reason, they were both stricken with the same condition.

Of course, they didn't have to say anything to verify this. It was a simple fact just by looking at them. They were also both able to draw a rough idea as to how they'd gotten it in the first place. Not a hard equation to put together, not even for BeastBoy. Following the laundry incident yesterday, they'd both been drenched from head to toe after the washing machine had overloaded. Shortly afterwards, Raven's anger grew past the point of control and pursued BeastBoy outside, where they remained for a significant period of time. The cool night air, combined with their damp clothes, were the perfect ingredients for welcoming sickness.

Wet Clothes + Cold Air SICK

Neither of them brought up the cause for several reasons, aside from it being obvious. Mostly, because it was neither one's fault. They'd each played a significant role in bringing about what led up to them being in their current condition. Both of them had brought about overloading the washer by exceeding the washer's soap capacity. And it was pure coincidence that BeastBoy had walked in when he did on Raven and her… personal undergarments. That, of course, triggered Raven's outburst that would eventually lead them outside. What would their argument be? BeastBoy should've knocked and Raven should've been more careful about keeping her underwear in plain view? Things were rotten enough as they were without them starting a pointless argument over who was to blame.

The two rounded the corner of the hall, the door to the main room now in sight.

"Okay, look," BeastBoy started, pausing before advancing further, "I know YOU'RE sick. YOU know I'M sick. How bout' we just keep it that way?"

"Because?" Raven asked, her arms folded, waiting for a response that was sure to follow.

"Think about it," BeastBoy tapped the side of his head, "Do you really want Starfire to know we're comin' down with something?"

Raven thought for a moment, recalling the last time one of Titans had been sick. As she could vaguely remember, Robin had come down with a small cold, and Starfire being the kind and giving soul that she was, helped by preparing meals for him.

Raven gave a small, disgusted look, shriveling her nose. "Chicken soup, Tameraninan style," she spoke grimly.

"Yeah," BeastBoy added, "With extra tentacles."

Raven lightly shook her head, cringing mentally, baring the memory from her mind. "Very well," she said, turning to the doors.

"Good," BeastBoy weakly smiled, somewhat relieved. "Plus, I'd prefer to keep Robin from founding out. Cause ya know, he's just lookin' for more ways to get back at us, and who knows what he'd come up with as an excuse to help us 'get better'."

The doors to the main room slid open, as the two stepped inside.

"And don't even get me started on what'd happen if…"

"Cyborg," Raven said mildly surprised.

"Yeah," BeastBoy agreed, looking at her, "I don't even wanna' think about what he'd have done if…"

"No," Raven said, turning his head towards the kitchen, "Cyborg."

Sure enough, there was Cyborg. Sitting at the kitchen table, starring at the wall almost as if in some sort of trance, a glazed over look in his human eye. After two days of unexplained or unaccountable absence, there he was.

Raven and BeastBoy looked at one another briefly, looking back at Cyborg, who still remained motionless. They each approached from opposite sides of the table. Raven to Cyborg's left, BeastBoy to the right, examining their previously departed friend. He just sat there, still unmoving, unchanged by their arrival. It was creepy to see him staring off into space as if he didn't notice them. Like he couldn't even see them. For all they knew, he wasn't even aware they were in the room. At this point, it was hard to tell if Cyborg was even aware where he was.

"Uh… Cy?" BeastBoy asked, a bit concerned by his lack motion and zombie like demeanor. "Cyborg? Anybody home?" He waved a hand in front of his face, but still received no form of response.

Raven looked him over, finding nothing peculiar. "There doesn't appear to be anything physically wrong with him. There's no sign of external injury."

BeastBoy knocked on the metal man's head, making a low clanging noise. "Think he needs a jump start?"

"Doubtfully," Raven said, continuing to try to establish any sort of cause for his inactivity. "He looks fully charged as far as I can tell."

The many gears and workings along Cyborg's metal frame were fully illuminated by blue fluorescent lighting, like normal. He seemed to be functioning normally, certainly not in dire need of a recharge. He just looked zoned out, almost in a state of disbelief or shock, like he'd seen a ghost pop out of the waffle iron.

"Ya think maybe he's comin' down with the same thing as us?" he lightly sniffled.

"How could he? He hasn't even been around for the last two days. We just got it ourselves, and I seriously doubt Cyborg would be careless enough to get sick on his own," Raven said.

"Is he okay?" BeastBoy questioned, looking from the statue that was his friend to Raven who was now rubbing the bottom of her chin, contemplating their friend's problem.

"I think so. I just… can't really seem to figure out what could be wrong," she said deep in thought. "He's not injured, and he's not suffering from power failure. The only thing left it could be is…"

"His spark plugs?" BeastBoy guessed, "His radiator? His warranty?"

"His mind," Raven answered.

"Oh, yeah. Uh… that was my next guess," he grinned.

"I'll bet," Raven said in a flat tone.

He merely ignored her sarcasm. "So, something's up with his mind," BeastBoy started to comprehend, "Or… would that be his memory? I mean… because he's half robot, his mind is memory, right? Cause memory is computer lingo and stuff, and his memory is both his memory and his 'memory' memory right? But, that would mean that his memory in his mind would be… uh… um…" BeastBoy began to mix words around in his head, quickly becoming confused. "Um… What's wrong with him again?"

"His mind," Raven casually ignored his lack of understanding. "It's got to be."

"So… what? He's got brain damage?" BeastBoy shrugged.

Raven gave close inspection to the mechanized segment of Cyborg's cranium. "I wouldn't say that. I don't think his brain is 'damaged' per say. I just think something slowed it down, if not stopped it, from running at full capacity."

Raven was by no means a mechanic, but she'd been around Cyborg and the many problems he'd experienced in the past to make an educated guess.

"What do ya mean?" BeastBoy asked, scratching his head.

Raven paused a moment to try to explain it, not only to BeastBoy, but to logically work it out for herself. "Remember when Cyborg installed the Maximum 7 in his system? And how he started acting when he shut down certain parts of his mind and emotions to power it?"

BeastBoy recalled the incident quite clearly. "Yeah. So?"

"Well, same thing here. Look at him," she gestured to their friend and his vacant expression. "He's completely cut off from expressing emotion. Only this time, it doesn't look like it's related to something in his system."

BeastBoy looked at Cyborg's blank face. That much was certainly true. And Cyborg wasn't the kind of person to make the same mistake twice. He wouldn't put that chip back in his head, not after what'd happened before.

"So, what happened then?" he asked.

"Something must've happened to trigger a shock to his system," Raven surmised. "My guess is during that wild goose chase you sent him on, something happened. Something so unbelievable it caused a surge to his system, and his mind apparently dealt with it by not dealing with it."

"Like what?" BeastBoy queried. "What could be so heavy that Cy's mind would just kick off?"

Raven shook her head, unable to reply. "The only one who can answer that is Cyborg."

It was interesting, to say the least. Granted, BeastBoy was genuinely concerned for the welfare of his friend, but he was also extremely curious. What could've happened to put Cyborg's mind in stand-by mode? This, BeastBoy had to find out.

"Ok. We sorta know what's wrong with him. So… How do we fix'em?" he asked. "Cause, unless he's got a number for tech support on him somewhere, I got nothin'."

Raven thought a minute. "I'm not entirely sure. I'm hardly what you'd call 'computer savvy'."

"Not a problem," BeastBoy cracked his knuckles, "I handle computer stuff like this all the time."

"Somehow, that's less than reassuring," Raven remarked.

BeastBoy ignored her moral support, focusing on the task at hand. "Stuff like this is easy to fix. See, Cyborg is half machine right? Well… technically half machine, half home entertainment center, and half Swiss army knife," he made light of Cyborg's various functions. "And you just have to keep three things in mind about fixing mechanical stuff."

"_Oh, this should be inspiring,"_ Raven thought to herself with low sarcasm.

"One," BeastBoy counted off, "Check for a reset button." To which, BeastBoy searched for any kind of toggle switch or button to restart and reboot Cyborg to normal. Much to his dismay, he found none.

Not that it was a bad idea. The theory was sound, but it was slim that Cyborg would leave a reset button on him where anyone, especially BeastBoy, could find it. Imagine BeastBoy resetting Cyborg, right after the Game Station, for every lost video game.

"Okay, no button. Two," moving onto the next step, "Turn it off, then back on again." BeastBoy looked over Cyborg again, checking more thoroughly this time, checking under his arms, the bottoms of his feet, and every other place he could think of.

Well… not EVERY place.

Again, not a bad idea. But Cyborg didn't have an off button. At least, not that BeastBoy was aware of. So far, BeastBoy was batting 0 for 2.

Two down, one to go. Raven stood watching, far from impressed as all BeastBoy had done was look for something she and probably he himself knew wasn't there.

"O…K. No off switch," he said, somewhat discouraged.

"Wow, we're really making progress now," Raven said, far from enthused.

"Not to worry. Step three never fails," he explained, walking over to a nearby closet on the far wall of the main room.

Raven's expression was now almost as blank as Cyborg, but with a sign of her patience wearing a bit thin and doubt pertaining to BeastBoy's attempts. Letting BeastBoy try fix something hi tech was as sensible as letting a serial killer sell steak knives door to door.

BeastBoy emerged from the closet carrying a large bag. Tools were Raven's best guess.

"BeastBoy, I know it's irrational to ask you a rational question, but just what are you planning to do?" she asked.

BeastBoy got up onto the table in front of Cyborg, setting the bag down beside him. "Just goin' by the numbers. No reset button, no power switch, so all that leaves is step three." BeastBoy pulled a large golf club from the bag, lining up the end of a nine iron with the side of Cyborg's metal skull. "Corrective maintenance."

"_He couldn't,"_ Raven thought.

BeastBoy planted his feet firmly on the table, loosening up his shoulders.

"_He wouldn't,"_ she thought.

BeastBoy lightly swung the club back and forth, lining up the path of his swing, addressing Cyborg's head as if it were a golf ball.

"_He would."_

BeastBoy reeled back the club, preparing to make impact with Cyborg in the hopes it'd return him to his normal state of mind. BeastBoy, who'd previously been tired as a result of falling under the weather, now seemed wide awake and all too ready to follow through with what little energy he had left.

BeastBoy swung, putting the entire weight of his body into the momentum of his swing. He closed his eyes, bracing for the recoil of impact.

Nothing.

No sound of impact, no loud gong of striking the metal teen. He opened his eyes, puzzled at the absence of resistance. He'd swung with everything he had, yet felt as if he'd hit nothing but air. His hands, previously weighted slightly by the club, now felt lighter. He looked to find the golf club no longer in his grasp.

"What the…?" he said, somewhat bewildered. "What gives?"

BeastBoy turned to find the club, suspended in mid air, still in pre-swing position, and encased in black energy.

BeastBoy looked to Raven, who had an arm extended towards him, controlling the club.

"Just what do you think you're doing?" Raven asked, not surprised by what he had almost done, considering this was BeastBoy.

"What's it look like? I'm trying to fix'em. Haven't you ever smacked the TV when it gets bad reception?" he asked.

"No. But, I certainly wouldn't use a nine iron if I did," she answered. "Would you use a golf club on the TV?"

"No," he shrugged, "But then, he's bigger than a TV," he explained.

Raven sighed. "We're trying to fix him, not put him in the shop."

"Come on, I wasn't gonna' hit'em that hard." BeastBoy looked at the club, still hanging in the air, then back at Cyborg. "Hmm…" he pulled a scorecard from the bag and a pencil, "Wonder if that costs me a stroke."

Suddenly, the club followed through from behind BeastBoy, striking him on his rear, knocking him off the table. BeastBoy sat up, rubbing his behind. He wasn't struck very hard, but just enough for it to really sting.

Raven looked down at him. "This game has been called on account of idiot," she said. "Now, can you be serious? We need to find a way to get Cyborg back to normal," Raven spoke firmly, looking back at Cyborg.

"I'm tryin'," he said. "But it might be easier if I knew what it was that broke him in the first place."

"Like I said, I don't have any specifics," she took a deep breath, looking at their friend. "All I can say for sure is that something, that isn't hardware associated, put his mind on the fritz. And whatever it was, was too much to take in, and as a result, slowed down his mind to half capacity. Probably how he was able to get back here, but not able to really do much else."

BeastBoy gave an empty stare at Raven, obviously only able to understand a few words in her explanation.

Raven exhaled. "Something freaked him out, and now his mind went boom."

"Oh," BeastBoy said, finally able to comprehend, "Well, why didn't you just say so?"

Raven covered her face with her hand, slowly dragging it down her face, border lining on losing her patience and train of thought.

BeastBoy considered Raven's explanation, trying to figure out a way to bring Cyborg back to normal. "Hey! I got an idea," he exclaimed.

"Will wonders never cease?" Raven muttered.

BeastBoy walked over beside Cyborg, a grin on his face. Raven quickly dematerialized in front of him, reluctant to simply let him do whatever he was planning after nearly using Cyborg's head as a golf ball.

"As much as I hesitate to ask, just what did you have in mind this time?" she asked musingly.

"Simple," he smiled. "If one shock to his mind made him like this, another one should cancel it out."

Raven sighed again. "BeastBoy, that has got to be, THE most…" Then the thought dawned on her. "…Sensible idea you've ever had."

Really thinking it through, it actually made some measure of sense. A second shock to Cyborg's system might actually cancel out the first one and revert him back to normal.

BeastBoy smiled proudly.

"Alright. Fine. You have a semi reasonable idea. So, exactly HOW were you going to create a second shock to Cyborg's mind?" she asked, still unsure as to what he had in mind but not willing to simply let him do whatever he was planning. "No, wait. Let me guess."

BeastBoy rolled his eyes, willing to wait for Raven to get whatever she was going to say out in the open. Not to mention, it always tended to be amusing to see if Raven could second-guess him.

"You're going to put him in the tub, fill it with water, and then drop a toaster in and zap him back to normal," she guessed in her dry tone. "Or maybe you're going to attach a pair of jumper cables to him and hook him up to the T-Car. No, better still, you're going to pour some of Starfire's pudding of sadness down his exhaust port," she mused sarcastically, trying to think along the lines of BeastBoy's infantile mind. And surprisingly doing a flawless simulation. "Am I close?"

Raven turned to BeastBoy, only to find him with a pad of paper and pencil in hand, frantically trying to write down Raven's every word. "Whoa, Rae! Slow down. This stuff is gold."

Raven covered her eyes in disbelief. Not only had she sunken to BeastBoy's line of thought, she was giving him pointers without even realizing it.

"All I was gonna' do was try to talk him out of it," he said, jotting down the last of her 'helpful suggestions'.

Raven removed her hand from over her eyes. "Talk him out of it?" she repeated to herself, "What are you talking about?"

BeastBoy looked up at her, discarding the pad. "Well, he can still hear us, right?" he asked.

"Presumably, yes," she nodded, "Though, I can't be certain." A thought entered Raven's head, starting to gain some idea as to what he was planning. "You're not suggesting that…"

"Uh huh," he nodded with a smirk, "Watch and learn."

BeastBoy moved past Raven, leaning over to Cyborg's human hear, tapping it like a microphone. "Testing. Testing. One, two, testing," he spoke into his friend's ear. "Cy, if ya can hear me… blink once. If ya can't… blink twice."

BeastBoy watched attentively the human eye of Cyborg, which still starred vacantly at the wall straight ahead. After a few seconds, he blinked, causing BeastBoy to smile confidently at Raven, who paid it no mind. She still watched intently, wondering just what the green boy had in mind.

BeastBoy turned back to Cyborg. "Hey, Cy," he started, making sure to speak clearly, "They just released the top one hundred best custom cars in this month's issue of Auto Weekly, and the T-Car didn't even place."

Raven raised an eyebrow, failing to see what he was trying to do. What did this have to do with snapping Cyborg out of his present state?

BeastBoy paused briefly to gauge Cyborg for any kind of reaction. After a few seconds, no change was noticeable. Promptly, he spoke into Cyborg's ear again. "Cyborg, it's been proven that tofu is an acceptable substitute for meat in the basic food groups," he grinned.

Still nothing.

Raven could still not follow his intentions. "BeastBoy, just what does this have to do with Cyborg's condition?" she asked, arms folded.

"Oh, come on, Raven," he beamed at her, "Don't ya get it?"

Raven gave her usual deadpan stare. "Obviously not."

BeastBoy walked over, leading her a small distance away. "I'm tryin' to shock him out of it," he whispered, so if Cyborg was able to hear, he wouldn't.

"How? Through lies and false information?" she looked at him questionably. "If this is another one of your jokes…"

"No. No joke, I swear," he vowed, holding up his right hand. "You said it yourself, something major happened to make him this way. I'm just tryin' to do it again."

Raven started to get the picture. BeastBoy was trying to get through to Cyborg's sub-consciousness. In this case, trying to recreate whatever had surged Cyborg's mind the first time, only now with something different to play on his mind. BeastBoy knew all too well what Cyborg's interests, dislikes, and just plain annoyances were. What better way to crack the computer half of Cyborg's mind than to exploit the human part of his mind. With any luck, given enough generated stress, the human half would overtake his mechanical half, disengaging its partial shut down and resume running at full capacity.

Raven thought it through. "And you think such meaningless and trivial things will snap him out of it?" she said.

No insulting remarks about his idea. No sarcastic observation about the stability of his mind. Just mere criticism over his approach. BeastBoy took this as a good thing. Maybe she wasn't impressed, but she wasn't quick to condemn his plan either.

"Hey! I'd like to see you do better," he remarked.

Without so much as a word, Raven gave one look at BeastBoy, walked past him, and back towards Cyborg. She stood beside him, seemingly about to make an attempt.

"_Think,"_ she thought. _"If you were in meditation, the deepest trance imaginable, barely able to hear anything around you, what'd be something that'd bring you out of it?"_

Raven looked up at the ceiling, tapping her finger on her side, thinking of what'd be the ideal thing to say to give a mind such as Cyborg's a well-needed kick-start.

"Cyborg," she said, "All the tights Robin uses for his costumes? They're from the girl's section."

Awkward silence.

BeastBoy went wide-eyed, gaping at Raven. He tried in vein to hold it in, but eventually caved, laughing hysterically. Though not for long, clutching his head as his headache resurfaced, but still chuckling never the less.

"_I… I…"_ he stammered, laughing full force in his head, uncaring of the pain it brought, _"I didn't know she had it in her."_

Cyborg gave hardly a twitch, but a definite sign of activity, no matter how faint.

"Cyborg," BeastBoy chimed in, now hoping to follow Raven, doing his best to muffle his own chuckles, "You wouldn't believe it, but Raven's got a pair of underwear that…"

BeastBoy paused, both realizing what he'd blurted out without thinking and feeling a sudden chill of an icy stare. BeastBoy turned his head.

Sure enough, Raven got point blank in his face, eyes narrowing, stopping him cold. "That, what?" she asked in a dark almost threatening tone.

BeastBoy swallowed hard. "U-u-uh… I… forget?"

Raven's face returned to neutral. "I thought so."

BeastBoy breathed a sigh of relief. _"That was close,"_ he thought, looking from Raven back to Cyborg. _"Gonna have to save that for another time."_

"_I heard that,"_ Raven said telepathically in his head.

"_CRUD!"_ he panicked mentally.

"Can we stay focused on the task at hand here?" she lightly scolded, turning back to Cyborg, putting BeastBoy's childish behavior on hold.

Her eyelids were starting to feel heavy. She was sick after all, despite a stubbornness matched only to BeastBoy's to hide it, and was beginning to have a hard enough time staying awake without BeastBoy's silliness.

"Cyborg, BeastBoy's been accepted into college," she said.

Cyborg's mouth momentarily curled, and his nostrils flared. It was starting to take effect. His human impulses were growing stronger. Strong enough to over power the dampening effect of the computerized segment of his mind. It looked as if one more dose would put him over the top.

"Hey! How come that struck him as such a shock?" he whined, somewhat insulted. "I could totally go to college."

"Barber, or clown?" Raven cut in.

BeastBoy gave a shallow and annoyed look.

Raven hardly paid him any mind, focusing rather on what more could be said to restore Cyborg. Their plan was beginning to show signs of progress. Cyborg twitched slightly, as if trying to wake up from his mechanical lock up in his mind. What was something so unbelievable, so outrageous, so beyond comprehension that Cyborg's cybernetic mind would hit the breaking point?

As well as Raven knew Cyborg, she didn't quite know him that well. Not well enough to know what kinds of things registered on such a scale in his mind, but she could think of one person who might.

Raven turned to BeastBoy. "BeastBoy, if you were Cyborg, and you were in an almost vegetative state, what would bring you out of it."

BeastBoy looked to the ceiling. "Uh…"

Several seconds passed.

"Oh, right. I forgot," she said glancing to the side, "Your mind's already in a near vegetative state."

BeastBoy crossed his arms as if to visibly pout. "Ya know, you're not helping."

Raven sighed, leaning against the table, turning her attention back to Cyborg, giving BeastBoy a moment of peace to think.

"Hmm…" BeastBoy scratched his head, looking at Cyborg. "Something to shock him. Something to shock him," he murmured to himself.

There wasn't much that covered that category. Look at all they'd encountered in the past. Villains, monsters, aliens, trans-dimensional demons. What was left? What else was there to take Cyborg past the depths of his imagination and occurrences he'd already experienced?

BeastBoy's mind clicked. "I got it," he said triumphantly.

"Let me guess," Raven said, turning her head halfway, less than interested than before, "You're gonna tell him Belgium is in recession, and waffles will become non existent."

"Of course not. Don't be ridiculous," he said. He took a step towards Cyborg, but turned after half step, "But… we'll just keep that one as a backup. Just in case."

Raven rolled her eyes.

BeastBoy stood beside Cyborg, opening his mouth to speak. A confident look about him, seemingly certain he had the perfect thing to bring Cyborg out of it. But before he could utter a single syllable, a sudden thought crossed his mind.

Looking from Cyborg to Raven, BeastBoy leaned over, choosing instead to whisper in Cyborg's ear.

Raven gave a curious look, but quickly turned away, pretending not to care. Yet she tilted her head slightly, straining her ear to attempt to hear whatever BeastBoy was whispering. No doubt something immature, as was fitting of both him and Cyborg's nature.

BeastBoy stepped back, obviously finished with whatever he had said.

"That was fast," Raven said, stepping beside BeastBoy.

"Yeah, but he's still the same," BeastBoy hung his head in disappointment.

Cyborg was unchanged. Even his previous twitch had dissipated, leaving him as stiff and rigid as when the two of them had first arrived.

"I thought for sure that woulda' done it," he said, holding the side of his head in his hand. BeastBoy walked back beside Raven, trying to think of where he could've gone wrong. He was so sure hearing that would've brought him out of a coma, let alone whatever the technological term was for whatever was ceasing his function.

Raven shifted her eyes to the side, her curiosity somewhat re-emerging. "Just what did you say to him anyway?"

BeastBoy stiffened. "Oh… uh… ya know," he stammered. He wasn't so sure how Raven would respond if he told her.

"No, I don't know. That's precisely why I'm asking," Raven said.

BeastBoy seemed very shifty all of a sudden. "Um… w-what's it matter? He didn't snap out of it," he said meekly. "We'll worry about it later. Anyways…" Beastboy coughed, obvious to fake, "We're both sick, so… why don't we sleep it off, and maybe he'll be back to normal when we wake up."

BeastBoy started to inch away, being sick for real, but making it look far worse than it really was, milking it for all it was worth. He was genuinely tired, and under the weather, but nowhere near as bad as he made it look.

Raven snagged him by the arm before he could get far, hardly convinced. "You're talking awfully fast, BeastBoy," she said.

BeastBoy gave a nervous smile. "Uh… try listening slow," he responded.

Suddenly, from behind them gave a low humming noise.

The both of them turned to find Cyborg's gears flickering. His mechanical components started to whir, the lighting along his circuits starting to glow brighter, signifying his body making the transition from stand-by to fully online. The circuitry along the left side of his face began to glow stronger, his electronic eye clicking, the lens focusing as if to transmit a more thorough signal directly to his mind.

His fingers began to flex, his shoulders loosening, his body now no longer constricted to rigid robot like movement as his mind began to transmit more constant signals to his body. His electronic eye flashed, going from a faint to a solid red glow. His human eye blinked, his pupil scanning the room, focusing on his two friends before him.

"Ugh…" Cyborg groaned, placing a hand on his head, his mind now steadily resuming its full function.

BeastBoy looked to Raven, then back at Cyborg, leaning beside him. "Cy? Can ya hear me?" he asked.

Cyborg rubbed the side of his head. "Yeah," he spoke slowly, still adjusting after having been in stand-by for so long.

"Do you know where you are?" BeastBoy asked.

Cyborg glanced around the room, able to identify the main room and the view of the city from the windows. "I'm… I'm in the Tower," he answered groggily.

"Do you know who I am?" BeastBoy pointed to himself.

"BeastBoy," he answered plainly, beginning to sound more like himself.

"And do you know what the very best thing to eat in the whole world is?" the changeling asked with a hopeful grin.

Cyborg's stomach growled as if to hint that he'd hardly eaten a thing in his absence. "You bet," he said, a faint smile, rubbing his metallic midsection, "Barbecued spareribs! And lots of em'!" he scurried past BeastBoy to the fridge. Being at a standstill for so long had built up quite an appetite.

"Hmm," BeastBoy scratched his head, "Actually, I was lookin' for tofu. Maybe we should reset him again," he suggested.

Raven promptly smacked him in the back of the head, dismissing the idea.

"I was just kidding," he defended.

Cyborg closed the refrigerator door, walking back to the kitchen table, a foot long barbequed sparerib sandwich in hand. Cyborg seated himself, pausing to admire his creation of leftover ribs on a sandwich roll with barbeque sauce dripping from every side. His mouth didn't even have time to water, sinking his teeth in repeatedly, taking three continuous bites before pulling his stuffed face away from the sandwich. He hadn't even bothered to heat it, reasoning that the ribs had already been cooked once and cooking them a second time would only dull the flavor. Not to mention waste time.

"Ahhh," he sighed in relief, swallowing the first mouthful.

BeastBoy did his best to maintain his composure as he watched his friend eat. It was like something out of the Discovery Channel. Like watching a lion feast on a freshly killed gazelle. Cyborg biting into the ribs, the cooked skin over the meat stretching like rubber between his teeth, barbeque sauce soaking his face and spilling onto the table like blood.

"Ooh," he held a hand over his stomach, now seriously feeling the effects of being sick. "And I thought I was sick before," he said in a queasy tone.

BeastBoy had seen Cyborg eat before, but now? His previously unnoticed symptoms had returned, now in full swing, stressing the 'swing'. His stomach felt it was doing hula-hoops on the inside, adding another symptom of mild nausea to BeastBoy's sickness.

Raven too was starting to feel a bit more ill, though trying to keep from making it visible by hiding a hand under her cloak, rubbing her stomach. She straightened up, focusing on Cyborg, trying to take her mind off her deteriorating health.

"Cyborg, where have you been?" she asked plainly.

Cyborg swallowed the last of the sandwich, wiping his mouth with a napkin. "Where haven't I been?" he said, his previously content nature seeming a bit irritated. "I went all over the city, huntin' down that letter lover boy here sent," he tilted his head to BeastBoy.

Cyborg was clearly annoyed, but not as angry as one might've guessed. Sure, there was the obvious expression of annoyance, but there also seemed something sad, almost depressing in his otherwise positive tone.

"Care to elaborate?" Raven asked.

"Yeah, and while you're at it, tell us what happened," BeastBoy added.

Raven scowled at his usual lack of understanding.

Cyborg trying to desperately retrieve a letter, that made sense. Absence from the tower, that made sense. But two days? How long had it taken Cyborg to realize the letter was never even sent? Or for that matter, was that even the final conclusion that had resulted in his minor shutdown?

"Well…" Cyborg began, recalling the events all too clearly in his mind. "After I found out a certain 'SOMEONE', sent a certain 'LETTER', to a certain 'SOMEPLACE'," he eyed BeastBoy for every stressed word, "I bolted outta' the tower in the T-car at top speed."

Raven and BeastBoy were with him so far, his account of events seeming to fit what they recalled from Cyborg's reaction upon becoming aware of BeastBoy's prank.

"My first stop was the post office. I figured mail pickup was recent enough, and maybe I could get it while it was in the process of bein' sorted before it was delivered," he explained. "Too bad for me it just happened to around a little after eleven by the time I got there, and EVERYBODY was in line. Just my luck, I picked the time of day everybody was tryin' to get somethin' mailed before lunch hour," he grunted, "The line was huge."

"Dude," BeastBoy cut in, "You're a superhero. Why didn't ya just cut ahead of em'? Ya know? Tell em' it was a matter of life and death, official Teen Titans business, something?"

"As much as I hate to agree with him," Raven hesitated, "BeastBoy does have a point. Why didn't you try to explain your situation to get to the head of the line?"

"Don't you think I tried?" Cyborg answered, "This is the post office we're talkin' about. Next to the DMV, the only place where the last thing people will do is let ya get ahead of em'. Those people wouldn't have gotten outta' my way unless I was tickin'."

Raven gave him look of minor doubt.

"Besides, what was I supposed to tell em'? 'Excuse me, I have to desperately find a letter that I don't know what it looks like, didn't write, and is on it's way to someplace I'd rather it didn't go'?"

Point taken. A rather difficult explanation to give.

"Anyways, two and a half hours later, by the time I actually got to the head of the line, they told me all the mail that'd been picked up had already finished being sorted and was in rout to be delivered. Naturally, I FREAKED."

BeastBoy and Raven gave a casual glance to one another. If he hadn't been freaked by the time he left the tower, what must he have been like by then?

"I musta' chased down four mail trucks and at least two carriers on foot in the vicinity of… where it was goin'," he said, unwilling to say aloud the name nor place of where the letter was going.

Raven was tempted to just tell Cyborg they knew he'd been had, but at this point, she still wasn't sure whether HE knew he'd been had. Besides, she was a tad curious to hear where he'd been, as his story still had only explained his whereabouts for a few hours. On top of which, his story telling was the only thing seeming to keep her and BeastBoy's minds off their illness.

"I searched em' all. None of them had the letter, at least nothing that looked like it," Cyborg remembered, his search coming up empty-handed with nothing to show for his efforts but some rather displeased looks on several postal workers faces over him rifling through their bags.

"Uh… if you never saw the envelope I sent, how were you lookin' for it?" BeastBoy asked, curious but not wanting to remind him he was the one responsible for this whole mess.

Raven gave him a somewhat surprised look before turning back to Cyborg for his response. She hadn't thought of that detail.

"Simple," he answered, opening his chest compartment, pulling out the draft of the letter BeastBoy had left for him to find, "I just scanned the handwriting and cross referenced it with yours," he beamed with pride, both over his technological and mental superiority.

"Dude? How do ya know I didn't just… type it?" BeastBoy asked, an eyebrow raised, throwing out the possibility, even though the draft letter had been hand written.

Cyborg's confident smile of his previously brilliant and flawless plan vanished. He merely grunted in response, tossing the draft letter into the air over his shoulder.

"So, you created a spectacle at the post office, drove recklessly to ransack a couple of mail trucks, and are probably going to have who knows how many restraining orders to postal employees. That still doesn't explain where you've been," Raven said.

Cyborg gave a heavy sigh. "Well… after the post office, the trucks I intercepted, and one particular post woman, who I thought was never gonna' run outta' pepper spray," he remembered, still able to feel the burning sensation on the right side of his face from a particular mail carrier, none too pleased at his siphoning through her bag, "There was only one place left to go."

If Cyborg was unable to retrieve the supposed letter from either the post office or the delivery trucks, then logically, there'd be only one place left to go. Straight to the source.

"I parked outside the pris… uh," Cyborg caught himself, "… Final destination. And…"

"And?" BeastBoy asked.

"And…" Cyborg repeated, followed by a short silence. "And… that's it."

Raven and BeastBoy merely blinked in confusion.

"That's it? What do ya mean that's it?" BeastBoy asked, looking perplexed, "You mean you just sat in the car the whole time?"

Cyborg nodded.

"For TWO DAYS!" BeastBoy exclaimed.

Cyborg looked away, a bit embarrassed.

"Why not just simply go in and get it?" Raven spoke up, "After all you'd gone through."

"It had probably already been delivered by then," he answered. "I just sat there, both hands on the wheel, starring at the building the whole time. I got out once or twice, but a few steps was as far as I got before I just scrambled back to the car. I kept running simulations in my head of what might happen if I actually went inside to get it," he pointed to his cybernetic brain. "Just kept running it over and over. The results were… less than encouraging. They all ended in humiliation and ridicule," he sighed, "Among other things."

"These simulations?" Raven enquired, "Not one of them resulted in a positive outcome?"

Raven had her doubts, feeling as though Cyborg might have been exaggerating a bit. Surely, the law of averages had to have produced at least one acceptable result in Cyborg's mind.

"Oh, sure," he shrugged. "One. Out of 67 consecutive simulations."

It became quite clear why Cyborg's mind had gone on the fritz. Not merely from running at full capacity, trying to predict the outcome of his letter hunt, but merely the fact of knowing that he didn't know.

How would a person feel if a letter, supposedly containing their thoughts or feelings of affection, was delivered to someone without their doing or approval and not knowing the outcome? That kind of thing could weigh heavily on any mind, even an electronic one.

"You couldn't merely have asked one of the guards to retrieve it for you?" Raven asked.

Cyborg looked at her, trying to act as if he had no idea what she was talking about.

"And you can drop the act. BeastBoy let me in on the whole thing," Raven replied before he could ask.

Cyborg hung his head in defeat. "The thought had crossed my mind. But, it's not as if they wouldn't be suspicious as to why I wanted the letter. What was I gonna' tell'em?"

Raven looked at BeastBoy, then back at Cyborg. "Simple. That you were on a wild goose chase."

Cyborg looked up at her. "Huh?"

"Dude," BeastBoy groaned, "This tanks."

"Oh, give it rest," Raven said to the depressed green boy, folding her arms.

"Easy for you to say," he whined, "Your prank went off without a hitch."

Cyborg's eyes went to and fro to each of them as they talked, trying to grasp the situation.

"What are you talking about?" Raven asked, "You sent him off to find the letter you never sent. He ran himself ragged all over the city. What's there to complain about?"

Cyborg slowly rose to his feet.

"It's not a 'prank' unless he went inside and confronted her about it. Without that, it's nothing," BeastBoy explained. BeastBoy slumped to the side. "I've totally lost my pranking edge," he sighed.

By this time, BeastBoy noticed a large shadow looming over him. Looking up, he found Cyborg with his hands on his sides, and his electronic eye glowing an unusually eerie bright red, as well as a look on his face that seemed none too pleased with the young shape shifter.

"You mean… to tell me," he spoke slowly, making sure BeastBoy was able to hear as he began to reason the dialogue between him and Raven, "THAT there never was a letter… THAT I went all over the city like a madman… THAT I suffered a serious processor lockup… AND that I had the world's first cybernetic anxiety attack… FOR NOTHING?"

Cyborg bent down, nose-to-nose with BeastBoy, who could only fake a flimsy grin, breaking into a sweat.

"Uh… Heh-heh," he choked out, "Yeah, pretty much."

Cyborg locked eyes with the coldest, steeliest look he'd ever given, matched only by one of Raven's looks. Like if he focused hard enough, the green boy would burst into flames on the spot.

"W-w-we're… uh… still cool, right, Cy?" he asked, his voice almost trembling.

Cyborg narrowed his eyes.

BeastBoy swallowed hard. "Buddy?" he squeaked.

In a swift motion, Cyborg swung his arm, scooping BeastBoy by the neck into a headlock. BeastBoy strained to break Cyborg's grip, but it was too strong. Not to mention the fatigue from being sick didn't help either.

He struggled for all he was worth, trying to push Cyborg's arm away. With both hands and shifting his weight to brace against Cyborg's torso, he attempted to use his foot as a crowbar, attempting to pry enough leeway to slip out from under his grasp. After a few tries to pry the metal arm away, making no success, he paused from exertion of energy. He panted heavily, his drop in health making him fairly weak and beginning to grow dizzy.

Despite this, BeastBoy shook it off, determined to escape from his friend, who now wore a particularly evil smirk, seeming to have something particular in mind. Cyborg was typically not the kind to have a violent nature, which BeastBoy knew all too well. But considering what he'd put the metal man through, who knew what kind of thoughts were going through his head. And a person of BeastBoy's vast imagination dare not even try to guess.

Revenge, payback, retribution, all words relevant to the situation, usually just out of reach of BeastBoy's typical vocabulary, were made clear as day in his mind. Just the kind of incentive to ignore the lack of energy and keep on going.

BeastBoy shifted his form to that of an alligator, trying to use the increase in size to break free. He twisted and turned, attempting to use his larger reptilian neck and jaw muscles to break the hold. Though Cyborg had to strengthen his grip around the thicker skin of the changeling, using his other arm, he was still no closer to letting go. BeastBoy changed form again, this time into the smaller form of a rabbit, hoping to use the transition from something big to something small to slip right out of Cyborg's grasp. However, Cyborg was quick to respond, pulling an arm inward to tighten the hold against the now smaller creature, pressing him against his chest.

Because of BeastBoy's lack of size, Cyborg seized an opportunity, now able to keep him restrained with only one arm. Raising his other arm high above his head, he looked down at the long eared green rabbit as it continued to struggle, showing off his pearly whites in the most sinister grin imaginable.

"You know what's comin', don't ya?" Cyborg said menacingly.

The green rabbit froze, slowly looking up as Cyborg's free hand's fingers clenched together into a fist. Shivering in terror, unable to move, he looked from the fist in the air to the face of his captor, making direct eye contact.

BeastBoy had a sinking feeling what was next.

Raven merely looked as the whole scene unfolded. She too knew what was coming and had no intention of stopping him. BeastBoy had brought this on himself. Though a small part of Raven pitied him all the same. She would not wish this fate on anyone.

Cyborg looked down as if to signal the end was near.

His fist came thundering down like hammer to drive a nail into a piece of wood. Except the nail was BeastBoy's head, and it'd probably be to the point of impact that it'd drive him into (and out the other side of) the floor.

But it didn't.

It slowed, coming to a dead stop just as it made contact with the green fur of BeastBoy's scalp.

BeastBoy, who'd shut his eyes tight the instant he saw Cyborg's fist begin its descent, opened a single eye to find why he wasn't knocked to the ground floor of the tower. He looked up to see Cyborg's still smiling face, but still not comforted by the devilish look in his human eye.

This confirmed what he feared. What he'd known was coming from the start.

"ROBO NOOGIE!" Cyborg exclaimed, a playfully evil smile spreading wide across his face.

Cyborg's fist began to whir, spinning like top on the base of BeastBoy's head. Faster and faster, rotating at the wrist a complete three hundred and sixty degrees, pressing the blunt ends of his fist between the knuckles and finger joints against the young boys scalp.

Friction quickly began to build on the rabbit's tiny head, as if a sandblaster was being driven into its skull. The heat and minor pain took its toll, ultimately reverting the rabbit's form back to the human shape shifter. Of course, that didn't make the experience any less tolerable.

"WHO'S GOT THE LAST LAUGH NOW, LITTLE MAN? HUH? WHO'S LAUGHIN' NOW?" Cyborg laughed, taunting the green boy, enjoying the severe irritation he continued to administer to his friend.

BeastBoy squirmed, still locked under Cyborg's iron cast grip. "OW! AHH! Okay, Okay! I give! Uncle! UNCLE!" he submitted.

Upon hearing this, Cyborg unfastened his grip with a victorious smirk, allowing BeastBoy to drop to the floor on his rear with a casual thud.

"I'd say that about makes us even," he grinned, looking down at BeastBoy sitting on the floor, one hand rubbing his head, the other rubbing his bottom.

BeastBoy slowly picked himself up from off the floor, getting to one knee. Steadying himself, he tried to stand but quickly fell back to one knee, and eventually toppling over flat on his back.

BeastBoy placed a hand on his forehead, letting out a slight groan.

"Aw, come on," Cyborg gently mocked. "Don't tell me it hurts THAT much. Believe me when I tell ya, it coulda' been MUCH worse," he smirked, his hand shifting into a buffer normally reserved for waxing the T-car.

But BeastBoy continued to give the impression that he was far worse, in spite of how light Cyborg made it out to be. He squinted, sitting up, becoming rather groggy, and feeling a strong sense of dizziness. His headache, originally brought on earlier by his own laughter, also returned. This time, far worse than before.

BeastBoy groaned again, now with both hands on his head.

"Yo, B," Cyborg started, beginning to take notice, no longer making assumptions, "You okay?"

"Ugh," BeastBoy grunted, "My head."

Cyborg leaned over so as to more closely examine him. "What's the…" Cyborg stopped, smirking once more. "Oh, I get it," he deduced, taking a few steps behind him, boasting a confident smile, "Tryin' to get me to drop my guard. I lean over to see if you're okay, and then? BAM! Skunk spray in the face. Well, guess what? Not gonna' work."

Cyborg folded his arms, looking down at him, figuring he'd guessed BeastBoy's plan. BeastBoy, however, continued to hold his head, swaying slightly side to side.

"Sorry, BB. No dice. Not gonna' buy it," he smiled. "Not now, not…"

BeastBoy teetered, his eyes closed halfway, falling backwards.

And he would've surely smacked the back of his head on the floor, completely laid out had Cyborg not been right behind him and quick enough to react. Quickly, he had squatted down, firmly putting his hands flat against BeastBoy's back, keeping him propped up in sitting position.

"B?" he questioned, now fairly concerned, "BeastBoy? Hey, come on green guts. Enough is enough. Drop the act."

BeastBoy barely had his eyes open, almost in a daze. "The… skunk bit," he spoke in a low voice, "Gotta… remember that… for… later."

And with that, BeastBoy shut his eyes, passed out.

Cyborg's once confused expression, once more became one full of concern. Carefully cradling BeastBoy upright in one arm, a monitor flipped open on his other arm. Extending his thumb, a small piece of plating on his thumb slid back to reveal a reflective strip of metal.

Cyborg pressed his thumb firmly to BeastBoy's forehead, making sure to evenly expose the opening on his thumb to his skin. Acting as a small thermal sensor, the strip of metal gauged BeastBoy's temperature, transmitting a numerical readout to the panel on his arm.

"102.8?" Cyborg read from the monitor, "Little guy's burnin' up."

Cyborg now felt a little bad for the noogie of vengeance. Had he known BeastBoy was under the weather, it could've waited.

At least, it wasn't anything too serious. BeastBoy had a temperature, but he was still breathing normally, and all other readings from the monitor gave no indication for alarm. The flu had merely taken it out of him, causing him to pass out. Most likely, a delayed response from moving around and expending energy, particularly from his shape shifting.

"Raven," Cyborg called, carefully laying BeastBoy down, "I think there's something wrong with…"

Cyborg turned to find Raven leaning against the wall, a dull expression of exhaustion on her face, sliding down to the floor, both eyes gently shut upon reaching the bottom. She appeared to have passed out as well, like BeastBoy, a delayed response from overexertion.

"… Both of you," Cyborg finished, observing her condition.

Cyborg got up from beside the sleeping boy, moving to examine Raven by the same means as he had BeastBoy. The result was the same. Raven was burning up as well, but appeared to be in no real danger.

"Looks to be about the same," Cyborg diagnosed the symptoms, reading the monitor on his arm from a scan. "A bet's a bet, but they didn't have to share everything."

Cyborg rose to his feet, standing between his two sleeping friends, looking from one to the other. It was obvious they were sick, and clearly in need of bed rest. Though, he had yet to determine the exact ailment they'd contracted. More importantly, he had to isolate it and determine whether or not it was contagious. He couldn't very well run the risk of everyone in the tower falling ill.

"Well…" he sighed, "This is certainly a pretty picture," he glanced between his two slumbering friends. So peaceful. So tranquil.

Cyborg's eyes went wide, an idea forming in his mind, before giving a mischievous grin.

"Almost suitable for framing," he chuckled.

Cyborg pressed a button just below his wrist, causing his forearm to sprout a lens and a small square device containing a flash bulb below it.

After a few… 'minor' alterations, he began snapping a few choice photos. Photos, which he was certain, would be of interest once his friends had awakened. They'd also double as insurance once they found out what else he had in store for them.

**Next Chapter:** BeastBoy and Raven have both fallen ill following their escapades from the previous night. What will the road to recovery bring? Has Cyborg come back at the WRONG time (at least for BeastBoy's sake)? What part will he play now that he's back? And more importantly, DOES THE AUTHOR ENJOY MAKING HIS READERS WAIT SO VERY LONG?

Author: "No. I swear. The wait is not intentional."

(Angry Mob amasses waving torches and pitchforks)

Author: "I try to move things along as best I can under the circumstances of work and other art related projects. If I could sit in front of the computer 7 days a week and do nothing but write and draw, BELIEVE ME, I would."

(Angry Mob still restless, but show signs of understanding)

Author: "Some people have actually written via e-mail, questioning if I've stopped writing."

(A few members of the mob nod, clutching pitchforks tighter)

Author: "If I was gonna give up on this story, don't you think I'd at least have the common courtesy to tell you up front about it? I LOVE writing this story. And I LOVE all the people who take the time to write what they like about it and let me know what they honestly think about it."

(Single tears fall from a few mob members)

Author: "And so, I ask for your continued patience and understanding. It will be, and still is, greatly appreciated."


	11. Rude Awakening

**Quality Time**

**Chapter 11: Rude Awakening**

Raven groaned, shifting uneasily, rolling over onto her back. Her face shriveled in discomfort, her eyelids slowly cracking open, just enough to squint into the darkness around her before slamming them shut once more. It took a minute or two to sustain an effort to keep her eyes continually open, feeling as though twenty-pound weights were anchored to every one of her eyelashes. Groggy would be an understatement.

Placing a hand against her forehead, somehow hoping to soften the throbbing of her head, she attempted to sit up. The thumping against her cranium intensified for every inch she did so, making the pain visible by the slight cringe in her face, but she managed to sit up nonetheless. A sigh escaped her mouth, slowly removing her hand from her head upon reaching her inclined position, steadying herself.

At first, everything was a hazy blur, rubbing the unmistakable feeling of sleep from her eyes. She had no idea where she was or how she got there, but she was certain she was no longer in the main room, able to recall it as the last place for certain she had been.

Gradually adjusting to the lack of light, her eyes came into focus, beginning to distinguish her surroundings. Bookcases and shelves against the far wall, trinkets of mystic origin, and stacks upon stacks of loose books arranged on the floor against the opposite wall. Even in a state of non-comprehension as a result of a vacancy in her memory, it was very familiar. Even the feel of the mattress to the bed she was currently sitting up in. And why shouldn't it? It was Raven's room after all.

At least she could set her mind at ease somewhat, now secure with the knowledge that she was in her own quarters. What better place to contemplate her where with all than her own private domain.

"Ugh," Raven gave a mild groan, returning her hand to massaging her head. Her headache from before had dulled, pain wise, but not nearly enough.

Making slow circular rubbing motions with two fingers against the side of her head, she attempted to focus her mind, hoping to drown out the throbbing of what felt like jackhammers against her temple.

She was obviously in her room, in bed, lying atop the covers. What she couldn't figure out was how she got there.

"What happened?" she whispered to herself, making certain to keep her voice low enough so as not to make her headache worse. Even the slightest increase in the volume of her own voice was sure to boom with the force of a thunderstorm against her head.

She shut her eyes, trying to replay the events of the day that might have led up to her being here.

"I got up. I met with BeastBoy in the hall. Engaged in pointless conversation, leading up to both of us denying obvious signs of being sick," she listed with little difficulty, "We went to the kitchen. Cyborg was there. We snapped him out of his system failure. BeastBoy passed out. I… must've followed shortly after."

Raven was unclear towards the end, but she definitely recalled BeastBoy collapsing to the floor following Cyborg's 'small measure' of revenge. Seeing as how the both of them had been stricken with the same ailment, it was logically sound why both of them had blacked out after prolonged exertion. But the real mystery was how did she get from the kitchen to her room?

"Then, how did I get here?" she asked, returning her hand to her head. "My powers?"

Raven lightly shook her head.

"No," she mentally checked off, "Not possible. Not while I was unconscious anyway."

Raven wasn't sure of the full extent of her powers, but even she was certain her powers didn't act from her subconscious, on their own, while she was out. In fact that was the one time she didn't have to worry about them going off. Asleep or unconscious, those were the only times her mind could not be used to outwardly focus and maintain her powers.

No conscious thought, no energy release.

"So…" she asked, one hand still against her head, looking down at the other, "…If my powers weren't responsible, what was?"

"Pardon my saying so, Raven," came a voice from above, causing Raven to look up, somewhat startled.

A small opening in the ceiling above the foot of her bed opened, revealing a mid sized monitor lowering down to eye level, suspended by a hydraulic support pole and a few jumbled wires. Initially, such monitors had been installed in all of the Titan's quarters, but were later disregarded for obvious issues regarding privacy and on account of the communicators being much more convenient. They were now solely reserved as backups for emergency situations and as a last resort. The screen illuminated, bringing an image of Cyborg into focus.

"But despite the fact that I plug in the wall at night and need an oil change every three thousand miles, I still like to think of myself as a who, NOT a what," he beamed with a cocky grin.

Raven sighed. That explained how she got to her room.

"How long was I out?" she asked, rubbing the back of her head.

"Not long. 'Bout three hours," he answered.

Raven gave a half open stare at the monitor. "You call that not long?" she asked in a dull tone.

"Not compared to how long you meditate, it ain't," he countered.

Raven merely took a deep breath, letting out another sigh.

"You were out of it pretty good," he said, surveying a paper readout in hand. "Suppose that's what ya get for movin' around in your condition."

Raven could sense a lecture coming on.

"All right, 'doctor'," she mused, "Am I to assume that you're going to give me a diagnosis?"

"Hmmph," Cyborg smirked, "Well…" he thumbed through the paperwork in hand. "According to the scan I administered before I took you to your room, you've got a mild case of the flu."

"You don't say," she said unenthusiastically. That much she'd already surmised.

"Which explains what konked you out," he pointed out further, "Ya know, just because you endure Robin's combat training, Starfire's cooking, and BeastBoy's jokes is no reason to assume you can endure something just as harsh on the 'inside'."

"So, now you've gone from physician to sage?" she commented with light sarcasm.

"Just statin' the obvious, Rae," he shrugged, "BeastBoy I expect this kinda' thing from. Of course, he'd walk across lava barefoot with a T-bone steak in his mouth just to get to a Gamestation, never mind just bein' sick. You, I expected some degree of common sense."

"Pardon me, 'doctor'," she stressed once more in a calm manor, "But I wasn't so sure I 'was' sick. At least not as sick as BeastBoy."

"Tch tch tch," Cyborg waved a finger in mock scolding fashion, "That's no excuse to jeopardize your health," he smirked.

Raven rolled her eyes before fixing on him once again. He was talking like some sort of parental figure, probably just to make light of her passing out. Next to BeastBoy, Cyborg was just as good at that sort of thing.

"Cyborg, if I thought it possible for a person's chromosomes to spontaneously shift, I'd swear you were turning into somebody's mother," she said with her typical poker face, void of expression.

Cyborg grinned. "Well, young lady," he seemed to borrow from her remark, "You be more careful next time, or it'll be no late night tea for you."

Raven's eyes narrowed, merely at how corny he made it sound.

"Speaking of which," she pulled her feet in, stretching her arms over her head, "I could use a cup right about now."

"Sorry, Rae," Cyborg interrupted in mid stretch, a less teasing look to him, "But, no can do."

Raven stared up at the monitor, lowering her arms to her sides, a confused look drawn on her face. "I beg your pardon?"

"Not right now, anyway," he spoke seriously, "I'll bring you some in a bit. But… you can't leave your room."

Raven let his words float on the surface of her mind for minute, trying to figure out what this was all about.

"Very funny, Cyborg," she glanced crookedly at the screen, hardly taking him seriously, "The whole 'scornful mother' routine was cute, but the joke's over."

"Fraid it's no joke, Rae. As of now, you're grounded," he shook his head.

Raven raised an eyebrow. "You can't be serious?"

Cyborg scratched his chin, considering how his last statement might have sounded. "Well, not grounded in the, 'think about what you did and no supper' sorta grounded. More like a, 'for the health and well being of everyone around you' kinda' grounded."

Raven furrowed her brow, now totally lost. "Would you care to run that by me once more? This time with clarity?" she said, seeking a more clear-cut understanding.

Cyborg looked up and down at his readouts once more, unsure of how to spell out an explanation delicately enough so as not to upset her. She wasn't in any sort of danger, but it would still be hard to swallow, and he had to lay out the situation just right. After all, Raven wasn't exactly prone to handling delicate matters like this with the best of graces. She needed a calm, rational explanation to put her at ease.

"You're… under quarantine," he said simply, trying to force a smile.

There was a brief silence that seemed to last forever.

"Now, before you go off on me, Rae…" Cyborg had his hands up in front of him, as if he expected Raven to jump through the monitor to bite his head off.

"Fine," Raven answered simply, reclining once more against the headboard of her bed.

"It's just that…" Cyborg paused, the delayed response from Raven taking effect, "…Huh?" he lowered his hands cautiously.

Raven merely closed her eyes, relaxing her shoulders.

"You're… you're okay with this?" he asked.

Raven gave a passive stare. "I'm confined to my room, with nothing to do but sleep, read, and meditate. How does that strike you as something I'd object to?" she questioned. "Besides, in my current state, it's not as though I'm feeling good enough to do much else."

"Well… I guess not. But… ya know, I… just kinda' thought you'd at least be a little steamed," he shyly rubbed the back of his neck, relieved.

Raven, though still grimacing slightly from her headache, seemed just a bit more relaxed. At least she could be left to recuperate in peace. That alone would be a godsend for her head.

"You sure you're really okay with this?" Cyborg asked, as if to double check.

"Yes," Raven replied simply.

"This isn't just some kinda' ploy to get me to drop my guard, is it?" he pressed, cautious, but trying to stay optimistic.

"No," Raven huffed lightly, trying to get the message across that she just wanted to be left in peace to quell the pounding of her head.

"Cause if it is…"

"CYBORG!" Raven hissed under her breath, trying to keep her voice down but making her impatience known. She was quick to regret it as the two syllables spiked the intensity of her headache for a brief instance. She returned a hand to her head, gently rubbing her forehead.

"Okay, okay," he pleaded in an apologetic gesture, "Just makin' sure."

Raven slid down the headboard, slumping her back against the mattress once more. Maybe now she could finally rest in peace.

"Didn't want ya to be too worked up, what with you bein' sick, BB, and all other things considered," Cyborg said in relief.

That's right. What about BeastBoy? Raven had been so wrapped up in the pain in her head; she hadn't even given it a thought. Was he fairing any better than she was? Same? Worse? She was mildly curious of the green boy's condition. She wasn't heartless after all.

"On that subject," Raven began, now lowering her hand, rubbing her eyes, "How is BeastBoy?"

Cyborg's face went blank momentarily, looking at Raven as if he'd seen a ghost. Then just as quickly as it had been vacant, a sinister looking smile grew across his face.

Raven could feel her stomach turn. Not from sickness, but rather intuition. She knew Cyborg well enough to know that smiles like that were reserved for two occasions. When he knew something she didn't know, or when he was about to cause BeastBoy a great deal of grief from one of his never-ending barrage of practical jokes.

And at the moment, Raven couldn't tell which to bet on.

"Cyborg?" Raven repeated casually, receiving no answer, "How is he?"

Cyborg's smile toned down a bit to a casual smirk. "Why don't ya ask him yourself?"

Raven looked at him, puzzled. Certainly, he didn't expect her to leave her room. Unless he was going to patch her through to him via the same previously unused monitor as hers in BeastBoy's room. And knowing Cyborg, he'd probably arrange for her to look in on him at the most awkward time. No doubt while talking in his sleep, or getting changed.

And while Raven kept expecting him any minute to switch the view screen to BeastBoy's quarters or begin to go into the intricacies of how he was going to use her to embarrass the changeling to no end, Cyborg merely smirked, slowly pointing to the side of the monitor.

Raven gave one last confused look. Until it finally clicked in her mind.

Her eyes went wide, quickly slamming shut.

"_Oh no,"_ she thought.

Raven's head slowly turned.

"_He wouldn't,"_ she tried to reassure herself, _"Not this"_

Ever so slowly, Raven's head continued to turn, eyes still closed tightly, as if bracing for the shock.

"_Even Cyborg has his limits,"_ she talked to herself in the same calming manner a negotiator tries to talk someone out of jumping off a building.

Raven's head reached its maximum point of rotation, unable to prolong it any more. Slowly as she had before, she opened one eye. She squinted, fully convinced she was going to discover the cause of Cyborg pointing off screen, and the smirk it brought.

Nothing.

The left side of her bed was completely vacant, save for a pillow.

Raven's eyes narrowed, looking to the side at Cyborg, who seemed very amused at the moment, straining to muffle a soft fit of laughter. She didn't know what she felt more of. Relief or Anger.

"Oh, Raven," Cyborg chuckled to himself, "You are a prankster's dream."

Raven turned back to the screen, a harsh stare burning through the monitor. It was times like this where she would've killed to have a remote control for Cyborg that included either an off button, a mute button, or a self destruct. Any of the three would suffice right about now, having to endure him playing head games with her.

Raven continued to stare in vengeful silence. Except now, she could practically feel a vein swelling on the side of her head to match the throbbing on the inside that felt like it was about to blow.

"Don't get so bent outta' shape, Rae," Cyborg attempted to calm her down with a smile. "You do have a condition ya know."

"Gee, thanks," she said sarcastically, her anger subsiding, but her eyes still cold with annoyance, "I'd almost forgotten."

Cyborg smirked, watching as Raven lowered her head, rubbing it once more. He could tell it was really bothering her by now.

"By the way," he added, "I left some aspirin on your night stand. Thought maybe you could use some."

Raven looked up briefly; beginning to shift her body towards the other side of her bed, towards the night stand.

"That information might've been more helpful earlier," Raven breathed with resentment, "Still, better late than never I suppose," she sighed.

Raven casually rolled over, reaching to her right across to her nightstand. But, just as she began to outstretch her arm, that's when she heard it.

Raven froze.

A small, barely noticeable sound stopped Raven dead. Raven's ears strained to better make out the noise coming from below her. She didn't really have to wonder, though. Somewhere, deep down, in her gut, she somehow already knew.

The sound of air gently rising and falling.

The sound of someone breathing.

The sound of someone sleeping.

Eyes wide, Raven slowly looked down, hoping to find that what she suspected was not really there. That she was wrong. That Cyborg had placed a mannequin, or some sort of artificially dressed dummy in her room.

It was a dummy. Unfortunately for her, it was also BeastBoy.

Raven looked down to find herself reaching directly over BeastBoy, who lay flat on his back, beside her, in the opposite spot where Cyborg had previously pointed, and still asleep. Raven continued to stare directly down at BeastBoy's sleeping face, no more than a few inches apart, not daring to move a muscle out of fear she'd awaken him, leaving the little green joker to deduce who knows what kind of conclusions.

The only question she could think at that moment, was how? How could BeastBoy have been sleeping right beside her the whole time, and she'd never even realized? Raven had been distracted, both by Cyborg and the pain in her head to have fully been aware, but how could she have NOT noticed THIS? Clearly, she must've been more out of it than she thought.

Slowly, very slowly, Raven began to pull her arm back towards her, just above BeastBoy's chest as if it were a land mine, straining her other arm both to balance her weight, and to keep from nudging BeastBoy's shoulder. She had reached over for the night stand so quickly, and without considering someone in such close proximity to her, she had not balanced her position very well, thinking she was merely going to pluck the aspirin from the night stand and then just roll back over. She started to lean back, gradually backing away on her knees, taking care not to shift the weight of the mattress too drastically.

Upon reaching a self-deemed safe distance, she sat up, close to the center of her bed, wiping a small bead of sweat from her brow. Dismantling doomsday weapons was less stressful than this.

Ignoring her lingering pain still present in her head, she shot to the foot of her bed, seizing the monitor, yanking it towards her with one hand. Her nose pressed against the monitor, her teeth barred, and eyes blazing just shy of a crimson red. Raven was ready to open up the floor beneath the mechanical man on the other side of the screen, depositing him at the doorstep of the gates of hell.

"DO YOU HAVE ANY FATHOMABLE IDEA WHAT I'M GOING TO DO TO YOU?" she threatened in a firm whisper, so as not to wake BeastBoy.

"Now, now, Raven," Cyborg tried to calm her, "Let's be reasonable here."

"Reasonable?" she repeated, still minding her voice, "Does incarcerating me, in a sick and weakened state, with BeastBoy, alone in my room, sound REASONABLE?"

Raven had let the tone of her voice slip towards the end, slapping a hand over her mouth, causing BeastBoy to stir. Thankfully for her, he merely twitched slightly, remaining in deep slumber.

Raven let out a sigh as she observed he had still not awoken, but immediately turned back to Cyborg, her anger showing no immediate signs of dying down.

"Come on, Rae. Don't be like this," he still attempted to relax her, manually moving the monitor away, "You know I wouldn't do something like this without good reason. Besides, there's a perfectly good explanation for all of this."

"Of course there is," she gave a hard stare, pulling her hood up, "You wanted to get some use out of your last will and testament."

Cyborg blinked. "Uh… I don't even have a will," he said, scratching his head, not sure where Raven was headed.

"I'll be sure to write one for you," her eyes beginning to glow an eerie white, "I'll read it at your funeral."

Raven began to hover above her bed.

Raven chanted, beginning to phase through her bed, intent on resurfacing in front of Cyborg to deliver both some degree of retribution and to relieve some pent up stress to lighten her head troubles.

"Azerath Metrion…" she chanted, her eyes glowing white.

"Um, Raven? I wouldn't…" Cyborg tried to warn.

"Zintha…aaAH… AAH…AH-CHOO!" Raven let loose a sneeze.

Halfway passing through her bed, Raven's powers hiccupped, spiking a burst of black energy, catapulting her up through her bed, into the air, crashing back down into her mattress. Raven bounced from the initial drop, sending her sheets and blanket above her, cascading over her upon settling from the recoil.

Raven poked her head up from underneath the covers.

"That would be reason number one of the quarantine," Cyborg half-heartedly smiled, unable to refrain from the amusement moment, "I didn't know what kinda' effect bein' sick would have on your powers. Apparently, the flu really kicks in under exertion. Namely, the strain of your energy release."

Raven blew a stray strand of hair away from her face. "You don't say," she spoke, less angrily, but still in a cold tone, not taking her sight off Cyborg.

"Yup," he answered simply, "So, unless ya wanna' take a second crack at the long jump," he mused over her launch into the air from her powers, "I'd suggest no mystic hocus pocus for the rest of the day."

Raven merely gave a void stare, still buried by her covers.

"And just to be safe," he assured, "Your door's been sealed by the Towers security program."

Cyborg tapped a few keys on the console beside him. Almost immediately, a small red light illuminated just above the door, verifying the lockdown to Raven's quarters.

"The grid's not a hundred percent stable on account of me bein' away, so I haven't really fully made the repairs from the storm. But, it should be more than enough to hold up for the day. So ya don't gotta' worry about visitors botherin' ya," he leaned back in his chair.

"Who'd want to?" Raven asked pointlessly, "It's not as if I maintain a bustling social life, Robin doesn't pass through here unless it's mission talk, and Starfire…"

"Ain't here," Cyborg finished her sentence.

"Right. Isn't here," she closed her eyes, looking away. Raven opened them once more, looking back, curious as to that last part. "She's not?"

"Nope. Neither of them are," he pressed a few more buttons on the terminal, "Haven't seen'em since I been back. Scanners confirm they're not in the tower, and they're not answering their communicators."

Cyborg tapped his metallic fingers against the console. "I'm sure it's nothin' though. Whatever happened while I was gone musta' been pretty heavy for them to just take off like that."

"You have no idea," Raven rolled her eyes to the ceiling, recalling Robin's last mad dash from the main room, with Starfire in pursuit.

"Knowin' Robin, he's either still avoiding Star. Or, maybe they managed to smooth things over and they're tip toein' across the rooftops together," he snickered.

Raven gave her typical uninterested look, neither confirming nor denying either of Cyborg's predictions. Though, deep down, she was a bit curious herself.

Cyborg leaned his head against an arm propped up against the top of the control panel. "Man, how come all the good stuff happens when I'm not around?" Cyborg whined, as BeastBoy normally would.

"You poor tortured soul," Raven replied with her usual sarcastic front, "I'm sure you want to be alone."

Raven pulled her arms free from under the covers, yanking them off of her, revealing BeastBoy lying across her. Apparently, upon the short circuit with her powers, her abrupt slam into bed had tossed the young changeling on top of her, concealing him underneath the covers. Raven had thought her blankets felt a bit heavy.

Raven narrowed her eyes down at the sleeping boy who lay curled in a ball across her lap, hoping the look of resentment would distract Cyborg from the redness in her cheeks.

No such luck.

"Speaking of wanting to be alone," Cyborg grinned.

Raven huffed, giving another of her seemingly endless,'I'm in no mood', angered stares. But she was quick to turn her attention elsewhere, gently hoisting BeastBoy off of her, rolling him back over to the right side of the bed where he'd previously been.

It was fortunate that the flu had worn BeastBoy to what extent it had; otherwise, he would've surely been easier to wake. Then again, Raven couldn't be certain if the flu was entirely a factor at all. BeastBoy wasn't the lightest sleeper ever. In fact, he could probably sleep through just about anything if he tried. But only because he got so much practice while he was awake.

"Cyborg, everything else about this situation I can understand," Raven began, briefly calmer in voice, but still a sharp eye watching the monitor as she finished setting BeastBoy to the side, "But why does HE have to be here?"

Raven patiently placed one hand on her hip, the other flat on the mattress, balancing herself as she sat on her ankles at the foot of the bed. Somehow, Raven had strengthened her resolve to keep a cool head in this matter a little longer, but sent obvious signs that she had her limits and would not be as calm for long if an explanation was not given.

Flu or no flu, Raven was not one to keep her powers withdrawn, even if at her own risk. And especially not if it meant wiping the satisfied smirk from the face of her cybernetic teammate.

"Simple," Cybrog began, "Cause we can't risk anybody else gettin' sick. The flu's contagious the most for the first twenty-four hours. After that, we're in the clear. But, until then, we can't risk any more of the team bein' under the weather. Granted, they're not all here right now, but they could be back any minute, and I don't want the first welcome they get from you to be a sneeze in the face."

Cyborg's face was serious, no longer showing signs of his previous juvenile delight.

"It's bad enough you two caught it, but if the rest of us catch it, we may as well put up a sign at the city limits that says: 'Welcome Bad Guys, Enter Here'," he outlined.

Raven sniffled slightly by chance. "That much I get. But why does BeastBoy have to spend HIS quarantine in MY room?"

"Oh, come on, Rae," Cyborg rolled his eye, "Have you SEEN his room? Discarded pizza boxes, month old laundry, who knows what kinda' bacteria he's got incubatin' in there. What's under his bed alone could start a whole new study for biological warfare."

Raven glanced to the side, a modest glance at the slumbering boy beside her. Even if only for few and brief instances, she had seen BeastBoy's sty that he called a room. She couldn't deny a word of it.

"Puttin' him in his room is the last place I'd put him to get well," Cyborg concluded.

"But why my room? It's been trying enough to deal with our arrangement as it is," Raven quarreled, "And granted, while BeastBoy has proven to be more… tolerable, and dare I say even… 'acceptable' company in rare occasions, twenty four hours non-stop, in his presence seems a bit much."

"Face it, Rae. You're a set," he returned to his teasing smirk.

"Not funny," she narrowed her eyes once more, "Just put him somewhere else."

Cyborg shrugged. "There is nowhere else."

"The training room? The utility basement? A storage closet?" Raven tossed out suggestions.

Cyborg pulled back, an obvious to false look of shock on his face. "Raven, how can you be so cold?" Cyborg asked, dimming the lights for dramatic effect, "You'd rather stuff this poor, tired, and sick little chunk of broccoli with legs we call BeastBoy in some lonely, dark, hole in the wall than to let him spend one measly night with ya?"

Raven folded her arms. "Much rather."

"C'mon, Raven. Open your heart and dust it will ya?" Cyborg pleaded, "It's just for one day. What's the big deal?"

Raven moved closer to the monitor. "It's my room, and I have personal space issues," she said, a hint of defiance in her voice.

Cyborg had seen Raven like this before. Raven had a habit of being very difficult once she set her mind to something. Sort of like the way BeastBoy got whenever he demanded a rematch at video games, only Raven did it without the childlike pouting and whining.

Fortunately, Cyborg had anticipated this.

"That… might be taken as a forfeit on the bet," he smiled.

Raven held her uncaring look. "Sacrifices must be made," she said calmly, turning away.

"Glad ya feel that way. Which brings me to another reason why it'd be a good idea for you to let'em stay put," Cyborg said casually.

Raven stopped, turning back once more, halfway facing the screen.

There was that twist in her gut again.

"If this is about that techno trinket of yours…" Raven began, finding that even a device to block out BeastBoy was too measly a price for this.

"Oh, no. This is somethin' WAY better," Cyborg said in a gleeful tone, punching a few buttons, "Check it out."

An image appeared on the screen. A photograph, a high quality one at that, taken shortly after Raven and BeastBoy had passed out, having succumbed to the tiring effects of the flu. Raven leaning against the wall, BeastBoy laid out on the floor. Not exactly the most flattering photo of the two teen heroes, but hardly what Raven would've expected.

"You took a picture of us out cold," she said in a dull manner, hardly impressed, let alone intimidated, as she knew he was trying to do. "Not exactly Pulitzer prize material."

"Aw, this is nothin'," Cyborg replied modestly, "Just the rough copy."

Raven raised an eyebrow. "Rough copy?"

"Yeah. As in, the original," he added, "Before I made a few… 'alterations'."

"What kind of 'alterations'?" Raven probed, her eyebrow raising higher.

Cyborg pressed another combination of keys, bringing a second picture up on the monitor. It was almost similar to the first picture, except that the two of them had been moved closer together. Instead of still being up against the wall, Raven was beside BeastBoy, lying on her side, on the floor, and with her arm slightly draped over him.

"Umph!" Raven gave a small blush, wide eyed, flinching her head away. "I might have guessed you'd stoop to this," she seethed under her breath.

Cyborg merely grinned in response.

"Now, Raven it's not as though I enjoy this sorta' thing," he said.

Raven gave a doubtful, narrow stare.

Cyborg tilted his head. "Okay, so maybe I do. But it was the only way I could think of to make sure I could keep you in the same room with BB till the quarantine was up. I thought it would be easier to look after the both of you if you were together. And seein' as how the med bay would definitely cramp the both of you, and you'd be more comfortable in your own room, there really isn't any other place. Plus, seein' as how your room's already contaminated anyway, what's the harm?"

Raven still gave a hardened look, none too happy with the means by which Cyborg was going about to gain her cooperation.

"I take it this obvious forgery is your bargaining chip," she said, calming herself, but not by much.

"What? This?" he asked, pointing naively, "Course not. Don't be ridiculous."

Cyborg pressed yet a few more keys on the console.

A third picture appeared on the screen.

"THIS, is my bargaining chip," he smirked with pride.

The photo was just like the second one, but this time digitally edited. And in a big way. Instead of on the floor, the two of them were lying atop a bed, sheets covering them up to their waist. Raven looked the same, but BeastBoy was altered, his upper body manipulated to look as though he were shirtless, Raven's arm draped over his bare green chest.

Raven's face turned bright red, straining every muscle in her jaw to keep her mouth closed, lest it hit the floor.

"So, what do ya think, Rae?" Cyborg asked, peeking out from the side of picture on the screen, scratching his chin. "Photo doctoring can be a little tricky, and I'm my own worst critic, but… I don't know if I fully captured the moment."

Raven's eye twitched, her cheeks still glowing, sides of her mouth quivering, biting down hard.

"Maybe if the light were a little softer, or maybe adding some rose pedals on the sheets," he smiled, holding up a thumb to the picture, imitating an artist. "Or maybe…"

Suddenly, from the screen in Cyborg's quarters, a black energy talon reached through the monitor, seizing him up by his arm, dangling him in the air.

"Waaah!" Cyborg yelped, hanging by the glowing appendage, struggling to get free. He strained, and pulled, and kicked, and swung with all he had, but was still no closer to being free.

"N-now, Raven," Cyborg began, this time with a more nervous smile, his teeth chattering. "I-I thought w-we agreed, n-no magic."

"I never agreed to any such thing. I only consented that I was fine with not leaving my room," she spoke calmly from the monitor, her hand aimed towards the screen, looking up at Cyborg squirm. "And, as you can see, I have not."

Cyborg slowly regained his wits, shaking off the initial shock of being hoisted up by Raven's powers. "Come on, Rae," he pleaded, "You know your powers are only gonna' worsen your condition."

Raven's eyes, now glowing an eerie white, remained unwavering.

He sighed, glancing off to the side, but quickly turning back to the monitor, a somber look to him. "Look, I was only tryin' to keep you isolated for your own good, and the easiest way to look after the both of you is if you were in the same place. I knew you'd go all magic mumbo jumbo on me if ya woke up and found BB in your room, so I had to come up with some way of gettin' you to go along with all this. Ya can't get mad at me for tryin' to help."

Raven's outlook remained the same.

The energy talon inched higher, jerking Cyborg up along with it.

"Okay, so, maybe I went a little overboard with the whole 'photo fun' bit," he shrugged.

**WHAP!**

The talon snapped upward quickly once more, bonking Cyborg's head into the ceiling, then just as quickly descending back to a lower position.

"Ok! Ok! So, maybe I went kinda' WAY overboard," he answered more accurately, rubbing his head with his one free hand, "But it's not as though I was gonna' auction it online or go runnin' off to the tabloids with it. It was just a little something between a few choice friends if ya didn't go along with it."

"A few?" Raven quoted, "The others, Titans East, and the countless number of honorary Titans around the world hardly qualifies as a…aAH-AHH-AAAH…"

Raven was on the verge of another sneeze. Cyborg shut his eyes, bracing for what he could only imagine would follow, having seen the last slip of her powers. He tensed up like a little kid about to be given an injection at the doctors.

**KA-CHUNK!**

The energy talon, which had been suspending Cyborg in the air, let go, dropping him to the floor. He hit hard, plummeting onto the metal floor like a cast iron pancake.

He looked up at the monitor, a bit dazed from the fall, seeing Raven had pulled away her hand, refraining from directing her powers to cover her nose. Cyobrg lay sprawled out for a brief moment, before gradually pulling himself up.

Confident her instantaneous sneeze had passed, Raven withdrew her hand from her nose, letting out a small sigh of relief.

"For the record, I would have been perfectly fine with my powers doing who knows what at a time like this, so long as you were along for the ride." Raven returned to her icy stare, now no longer highlighted by the mystic glow in her eyes. It was as if she were telling Cyborg she could've taken him down without a stroke of guilt, but was giving him the benefit of the doubt merely because his motive in this ordeal was out of concern for her well being.

Aside from her empathic abilities, Raven was a good judge of character, and usually, she could tell when somebody was lying. Most of the time, when confronted on a lie, a person would become nervous, ramble and add to the lie to make it sound believable, or quickly try to change the subject. Cyborg had done neither. She was convinced that even though he was drawing some degree of twisted pleasure from this, it was for her own good.

Cyborg gingerly dusted himself off, making certain everything was still attached to where it should be. "So… you're gonna stay put?" he asked cautiously.

Raven closed her eyes, merely giving a nod.

"And BB can stay?" he inched closer to the monitor, still a bit wary to get within range after what had just happened.

"Twenty four hours," Raven opened her eyes, "Not a minute more."

Cyborg's smile returned, but quickly faltered as another thought dawned on him. "And… you're not gonna…"

Raven anticipated his next question. "Because it 'was' for the sole purpose of both BeastBoy's and my own care…you're off the hook," she reassured in her neutral expression.

"_For now,"_ she finished in her mind.

"Whew," Cyborg said, wiping his brow, now in a total state of relief, "That's a relief. Was afraid I'd have to go into the witness protection program for a minute there. Relocate, go under a new name, the works."

Raven gave a hollowed look at his exaggeration, but in truth, he might not have been very far off. Given her initial shock, and level of outrage, she might have presumed the same course of action if she were in his shoes.

"You handled it a lot better than I thought ya woulda', Rae. I thought for sure you were gonna' take me apart and throw away the instructions," he chuckled lightly, still feeling as though on thin ice.

"Keep talking, Cyborg," Raven said, unamused, "I'll take your suggestions under advisement the 'next time' you pull something like this."

Cyborg put his hands up in 'I surrender' position. "Okay, alright! I get the point. You could, you would, but you ain't. I'll count myself lucky I'm getting' off with a mild warning," he said rubbing his head, still sore from his introduction of his scalp to the ceiling, "And just say I owe ya one."

Raven's head tilted up. A previous question popped into her mind, peeking of curiosity, getting the better of her. "Glad you feel that way. Because I'd like to cash that sentiment in, right now."

Now it was Cyborg's turn to wear a confused look. "Oh?"

Raven nodded. "Tell me," she began, leaning closer to the screen, "Do you recall the period you spent in your system's stasis lock? Around the time BeastBoy and myself found you in the kitchen?"

Cyborg looked up for a moment, tapping the side of his head with a finger. "I wasn't fully online, but my central processor was still running. So, yeah."

"Were you able to hear BeastBoy and myself trying to snap you out of it?" she asked.

Cyborg cracked a smile. "Man, do I. I meant to tell ya, my own personal thumbs up on the college joke," he snickered, "Barber or clown, HA! That's BB's academic standing alright."

Raven raised an eyebrow. "Then, you do remember?" she said straight to the point, uncaring of Cyorg's approval of humor.

Cyborg nodded. "Yeah. Why?"

"Because I want to know something," she replied.

"Sure," Cyborg cheerily responded, "Shoot."

Raven gave a quick look over her shoulder, verifying BeastBoy was still asleep, turning back to the monitor, now leaned forward, mere inches from the screen. "Just what exactly did BeastBoy say to you that finally pushed your mind over the top and forced a restart?"

Cyborg merely blinked.

Raven held her stare at the monitor, patiently awaiting an answer.

Cyborg drew his head back, smirking. "Ya really wanna' know?"

Raven's eyes narrowed slightly. "Obviously."

"Do ya really?" he asked, his teasing nature returning, making Raven somehow both less curious and more curious at the same time.

Raven raised a hand, clenching it into a fist, glowing with black telekinetic energy. "Cyborg, you've tested me once," she warned.

He immediately dropped his taunting manner. "Alright! Let's not do anything drastic. Especially if it involves me," he grinned nervously, disguising a sudden panic.

Raven lowered her hand to her side, her powers subsiding. "So? What did he say?"

Cyborg looked Raven dead in the eyes. "He said he was tyin' the knot," he said with a smile.

"Tying the knot?" Raven repeated, "Surely BeastBoy learning to tie his shoes is no shocking development," she joked in typical sarcastic form.

"That ain't what I mean, and you know it," Cyborg said. "Tyin' the knot. As in church bells, as in 'you may now kiss the bride', as in marriage."

Raven gave a puzzled look. "You can't be serious."

"Yup. Said I was gonna' need a cast iron tuxedo and asked me to be his best man," he laughed. "Talk about a riot, huh?"

Raven rolled her eyes. "I can certainly see how that would strike you as unbelievable," she said dryly. "BeastBoy in holy matrimony. If ever there were to be a sign of a higher power in the universe."

Cybrog continued to chuckle under his breath, trying to bring his mild laughter under control. She didn't know the half of it.

"And just who was the 'lucky' one to take BeastBoy as their significant other?" she asked, folding her arms, "Anyone I know?"

Raven could only imagine. Her first guess was Terra, imagining the two of them being wed in a rock quarry, the chapel made of manipulated rock and stone, courtesy of the bride. It hardly brought a smile to her face as it did Cyborg. She was all for BeastBoy being happy, as she would be for anyone else, and she had buried her issues with Terra for some time and had no interest in bringing them back to the surface. But for some unexpected reason, the thought made Raven's insides sink for some reason.

"Oh, you know her," Cyborg smirked, "Fact, you know her better than anyone else."

"And who might that be?" she questioned.

"Take a look for yourself," he pointed to Raven's side, directing her to the wall adjacent of her bed.

Raven looked to the direction Cyborg had pointed, finding her reflection in a mirror hanging on the wall.

Confusion set in, her passive expression holding, looking back at herself. What was Cyborg insinuating? Unless…

Raven's eyes grew.

Cyborg gauged her reaction, watching with anticipation.

Her cheeks began to tint slightly, easily visible through her otherwise pale complexion.

Cyborg's smile spread wider. "By George, I think she's got it," he teased.

Raven came close to falling backwards, but caught herself at the last second, her hands bracing herself against the mattress. Quickly, she snapped out of it, turning to face Cyborg once more with a sour look of anger on her face.

Raven probably would've been just as surprised if he had just told her straight out. But having Cyborg bait her and have it dawn on her at a slower pace made it seem all the more embarrassing for some reason. Especially with BeastBoy asleep beside her. No wonder Cyborg was all smiles.

After having been away from the tower on BeastBoy's letter hunt, this was an added bonus to his retribution against BeastBoy, and it couldn't have happened at a better time. The both of them sick, occupying the same room, for a whole day. It appeared Karma did work. And unfortunately for Raven, she was caught in the middle, and at the wrong end of it.

Cyborg put his hands together. "I now pronounce you, significant other," he smiled, confirming and justifying Raven's brief surprise.

Visibly, a minor flinch and brief blush of shock was all that Cyborg had registered. But he could tell, on the inside, Raven's heart was probably doing hoola-hoops in her stomach, and was probably seconds away from getting lodged in her throat. Joke or not, Raven, BeastBoy, and the word marriage would get signals out of anybody. Probably why it did the trick for Cyborg.

Raven's left eye twitched slightly, symbolizing a repressed anger. Sure, BeastBoy was the one who said it. But Cyborg seemed to be taking it more to heart than BeastBoy ever would have.

"Well, I guess I'll leave you to yourselves," he beamed, "I'll check in on you two later. And if you need anything, just holler, and room service will send it right up the honeymoon suite," he saluted like an overzealous bellhop.

Both Raven's hands were clenched fists, trembling in anger, as if all she could do to refrain from using her powers.

"But, before I go," he paused, his hand next to the console, presumably to end the transmission, "Is there anything I can get you, Mrs.…"

That was it.

Before Cyborg could finish, Raven sprang forward, grabbing the base of the monitor. With a sharp tug, she yanked it down, sling-shotting it upwards like a window shade, back into the ceiling compartment from whence it came, the ceiling closing back up behind it.

Raven gave a few emotionally repressed exhaustive heaves. She slowly inched back into a more comfortable sitting position on her mattress. Drawing a deep breath, exhaling, she relaxed her shoulders, unclenching her fists, laying her palms flat on her bed once more.

"I had to ask," Raven murmured to herself, shaking her head.

She sighed once more, laying a hand once more on her forehead. The headache that had once pounded relentlessly against her temple had settled for the moment, but her forehead felt warmer than usual.

Raven deemed it as nothing to worry about, most likely a post aggravation symptom. Cyborg had managed to anger up her blood pretty good.

"Uaahmmh," came a low grumbling sound, followed by a faint cough from behind her.

Raven looked over her shoulder to find BeastBoy, groggily tossing atop the sheets, slowly sitting up.

BeastBoy stretched his arms out, giving a yawn, mouth wide open. Rubbing his eyes, he tilted his head, arching his back, scratching his side. With a small sniffle, he slowly opened his eyes to find Raven, sitting in the lotus position in front of him.

"Huh?" he lazily spoke, blinking a few times, "Raven?"

Raven remained still; merely watching as BeastBoy's slumber worn senses began to come into focus, deadpan as ever. Compared to Cyborg, tolerating BeastBoy now seemed like a breeze.

BeastBoy rubbed the back of his head glancing between Raven and his surroundings. "What are you… and in my…" he pointed, his eyes wandering before turning back to her, "In your… and I'm…"

BeastBoy's mind began to function at normal capacity, quickly deducing that he was not in his room. It wasn't even close to HIS room. The only two things he could make out in the dimly lit room were Raven, and the bed he was currently sitting up in.

Room, Bed, Raven

These were the only three words that seemed to click in his still hazy mind.

Room, Bed, Raven

The gears in BeastBoy's mind started to turn just a little bit quicker, shifting the order of those three simple words.

Raven, Room, Bed

Raven's Room's Bed

Suddenly, BeastBoy's mind made a ding like a microwave oven.

**HE** was in RAVEN'S ROOM and IN **HER** BED.

BeastBoy's eyes resembled a deer looking into the headlights of an oncoming vehicle. The shock was indescribable.

"I'M… I'M IN YOUR…! AND THIS IS…!" he backpedaled against the sheets beneath him, scrambling to get away from who knew what kind of punishment awaited him, "I… I DIDN'T…WAAAAHH!"

**THUD!**

BeastBoy, already fairly close, had found the edge of the bed, falling over backwards, his feet sticking straight up.

"Ugh…" he moaned woozily, lifting his head up, wobbling, "Who turned on the owie?"

And with that, his head laid back once more against the floor.

Raven leaned over the side of the bed, looking down at the dazed and confused green boy. She shook her head with a sigh. "This is going to be the most crowded alone time I've ever had."

It took a short while, but Raven eventually managed to explain things to BeastBoy, calming him at least to some degree. After all, waking up in a strange place could be a startling experience, and Raven's room was as strange as they came.

She laid out the whole scenario. How they got to her room, the quarantine, Cyborg looking after them, everything. Well, almost everything, barring her discovery of BeastBoy's choice words to awaken Cyborg. But, at the moment, that was the least of her concerns.

"So… you and me are… roommates?" BeastBoy asked with a small sniffle, sitting Indian style to the far side of Raven's bed.

BeastBoy had gotten up from being laid out on the floor, and seated himself a comfortable distance on Raven's mattress, being careful to give enough space for Raven, who sat on the opposite side.

"Given the circumstances, I would've used the term cellmates, but…" she hung her head, "Yes. For the time being, we'll be sharing my room."

"_I still can't get used to saying that,"_ she brooded in her mind. Raven had considered 'Sharing My Room' filed in her 'Things She'd Never Say' part of her mind. Somewhere between, 'It's not your fault, BeastBoy', and 'I'm sorry, BeastBoy'.

"And I'm gonna' be in here for a whole day?" BeastBoy questioned, allowing the thought to sink in. "With you?" he half gulped, "Alone?"

Raven nodded.

BeastBoy looked down, over the side, staring at the floor, seeming a bit nervous. This of course did not go unnoticed by Raven.

BeastBoy was usually very optimistic, carefree no matter the circumstance. He could crack a joke in the face of certain destruction, act like a senseless fool in the heat of battle, and even pull a ridiculous prank during a status of high alert in the tower. Surely, he'd bounce back in the face of this. After all, what was so hard to grasp?

"If it's about the possibility of Cyborg preparing our meals…" Raven reclined against the headboard of her bed, trying to exemplify she was relaxed about the whole thing.

"No, no, it… it's not that," he shyly looked away.

"Well, what then?" Raven asked, "What else is there to…"

Raven's mind clicked.

"Oh," came a simple, yet somehow awkward response.

Raven suddenly realized what she had previously forgotten. Not to mention taking into consideration the mindset of a teenage boy alone with a girl, instantly tensing up from the shoulders. This, of course, drew a curious look from BeastBoy, watching intently as Raven cleared her throat trying to act normal.

"I take it ya kinda' figured it out, huh?" BeastBoy asked timidly.

Raven gave a casual dry stare at the boy sitting across from her, trying to pretend he really wasn't sitting where she slept. "I have… a theory," her pupils shifted momentarily, "But, trust me, I have my own share of… 'concerns' as well."

"You do?" BeastBoy's head snapped up, slightly less tense with the idea Raven might be sharing what he was feeling.

"Of course," she replied in her expressionless voice, "And… I suspect that I can guess why you're… uneasy about it."

"You do?" BeastBoy's face once more gave way to confusion, "Um… are you sure we're thinkin' about the same thing?"

Raven quietly cleared her throat again, seemingly all she could do to distract her from the burning in her cheeks. "Quite sure."

"Uh…" BeastBoy glanced up that the ceiling, tilting his head, thinking," I'm… not on your side of the bed, am I?" he asked as if taking a shot in the dark.

Raven's head pulled back a mite. "It's MY bed. Why would I pick a particular side to sleep on?"

Admittedly, Raven felt somewhat relieved by the simplicity of BeastBoy's question, helping her relax to some measure. Lightening the mood always was one of his stronger points.

"Um… You afraid I'm gonna' have an accident?" he asked, still in the dark.

Raven gave a 'get serious' look, emptily staring at him. "I'd like to believe you ARE at least paper trained."

BeastBoy morphed into a puppy, giving a small bark, wagging his tail affectionately and sitting up on the sheets, before resuming human form. Raven sighed, quickly shaking off the microscopic urge to smile.

"Is it about… that is… are you worried I might… y-you know…" he trailed off, bashfully and nervously looking down at his hands, now folded atop his lap.

Raven was dead silent.

"Ya know… If I… um…" BeastBoy continued to verbally tip toe around whatever was on his mind.

Raven sat up straight, briefly looking away. "BeastBoy, I can understand the awkwardness of what you're trying to say, and you don't have to say it," she addressed him.

BeastBoy looked up, meeting eyes with Raven. His expression was still border lining between embarrassed and shy, but he still managed to hold focus on Raven, who was now coping with her own fair share of nervous impulses.

"As awkward as this situation may be, you ARE in a girl's room, in a girl's bed, and with 'said girl'," she closed her eyes, momentarily unable to fathom that combination of words in her mind, "And I'm no more comfortable with it than you are, but… you are at the mercy of both an ailment… and… your own hormones. I certainly wouldn't hold you 'completely' accountable for any sort of…" Raven paused, clearing her throat, trying in vain to internally extinguish the rise in temperature to her face, "… 'natural functions' taking place."

Raven slowly opened her eyes, looking to BeastBoy, hoping to find some sign of relief or understanding. What she found was confusion and uncertainty.

"Uh…" BeastBoy began, "…Actually, I was worried if I ended up hoggin' the blankets, or if I wound up talkin' in my sleep, but… um… yeah, I suppose I hadn't thought about… 'that'," he shyly rubbed his arm.

Raven merely stared at him, dumbfounded, and embarrassed more than she let on. She was thinking more along 'those' lines than BeastBoy? She didn't know what was more shocking. That BeastBoy wasn't thinking suggestive thoughts, or that SHE WAS. This flu couldn't be helping her think clearly.

"I have got to stop making assumptions while I'm sick," she held her head with one hand, "It's bad for me."

BeastBoy turned, hopping off Raven's bed, but quick to hold his head as he momentarily felt a quick spell of dizziness from getting up so fast. He scanned the room, searching for something, anything that looked as if it would hold his interest, desperate to take his mind off their conversation, and even more so to keep from having to worry about 'sleeping arrangements'.

BeastBoy walked towards Raven's bookcase, coming to a stop in the center, gazing up to the top of the tall case and the seemingly uncountable number of books. He then moved across the room, glancing through even more stacks of thick books laid out on the floor. He then, just as quickly walked over to a nearby chest, opening it.

Surprise, surprise, even more books inside, along with other small trinkets and charms. BeastBoy pulled item after item out of the chest, inspecting it halfheartedly, before tossing it over his shoulder. A mystical looking bracelet, a heavyset looking novel, a few candles. He inwardly chuckled at the idea of any minute expecting to come upon a broomstick.

"What are you doing?" Raven asked simply, following his every movement from atop her bed, no longer able to simply ignore his behavior any longer.

"Duh," BeastBoy looked over his shoulder at her briefly before turning back, "Something to do."

"Why not just go back to slee…" Raven paused, looking back down at the spot on her bed where he'd previously been resting beside her.

"_Bad idea,"_ her mind chimed in, as Raven looked back at the green boy. She had enough to concern herself with as it was.

"…Just… what are you hoping to find?" she recovered; hoping BeastBoy had been too distracted by his search to ask what she was going to say.

"I dunno'," he said with a shrug, "A voodoo doll, a spell for turning pork chops into tofu, something."

"I doubt you'll find anything of that nature in here," Raven said, dismally.

"Well, there's gotta' be something in here to keep my mind from wandering," he continued to rifle through the trunk.

"Your mind doesn't wander, BeastBoy. YOUR mind is lost," she plainly spoke.

BeastBoy got up, looking from one side of the room to the other, scratching his head. "Yeah, well, I doubt YOU'RE ever gonna' find it, but that still doesn't gimme' anything to do."

BeastBoy walked back towards Raven, who hadn't moved an inch from her Indian style position on her bed. "C'mon, Raven. You gotta' have SOMETHING to do in here," he leaned against the nightstand.

"Sorry, but the bowling alley is out for repairs, and Robin made me remove the bumper cars," she said sarcastically.

"Oh, come on!" he pleaded, groveling on his knees, his hands together as if to beg, "I'll go nuts in here with nothing to do. You've gotta have something in here ya set aside for a rainy day… or… maybe, a sunny day in your case," he murmured that last part, "Ya know, in case of an emergency? A last resort?"

Raven crossed her arms over her chest, looking away, willing to ignore that last remark on a count of him speaking out of boredom and desperation.

"Please?" he begged, with a pouting look on his face, his lower lip drooping and his eyes big as frisbees. He morphed into a puppy once more, this time giving a low whimper.

"Sorry, BeastBoy," she gave a fleeting glance before looking away, shutting her eyes to his call for sympathy, "That doesn't work on me."

Raven heard a faint rustling noise, followed by an unpredictable silence. Narrowing her brow, she peeked one eye open, curious as to what he was up to now.

To her surprise, the green puppy was gone. Raven opened both eyes, looking along the floor for any trace of her friend. She turned to look over her shoulder towards the other side of her room. No sooner had she looked than she felt something weigh down on her opposite shoulder.

Raven gave an aggravated sigh. BeastBoy must've run around to the other side of the bed, crawled up onto the mattress and waited for her to turn so he could climb up on her shoulder for another puppy pout, up close and personal.

"BeastBoy, for the last time," she huffed, warning him of the pointlessness of his K9 charms, "That trick won't work on m…"

AAAAAWWWWKKKK!

"YAAAH!" Raven yelped, falling on her side, startled, rolling off the bed.

Momentarily caught off guard, Raven quickly sat herself up; staring coldly at a green crow, now perched on the nightstand, letting out a squawk that she could only guess was how a crow laughed.

The crow hopped down onto the floor, morphing to human form, wobbling a little, remembering he still wasn't a hundred percent and with the flu. Upon steadying himself, he shook a brief dizzy state from his head. A playful smile painted itself on BeastBoy's face as he leaned down, offering Raven aid her back to her feet.

"Thought ya might've responded better to something a little less… 'cheery', but… guess I was wrong," he smiled apologetically.

Raven got to her feet, ignoring his hand, casually brushing herself off. "Try something like that again, and I'll have you flash fried and slip you in a bucket of Cyborg's leftover chicken wings, bird boy," she said in typical unfeeling tone.

Raven straightened herself up, adjusting her cloak, which had loosened around her shoulders from her fall. As she did so, she noticed the ruby that fastened to her cloak was missing. After a quick glance at her feet, she felt around her cloak, hoping it had merely gotten lodged in the material somewhere.

A hand presented itself in front of her.

Raven looked at BeastBoy's hand, finding the ruby in the center of his open palm. She traced the hand, down the wrist, up the shoulder, past the neck to BeastBoy's face, which wore a smile at half strength with his eyes broadcasting an apology with a look of regret.

"Um… Sorry," he said softly, "That was… kinda' dumb," he added sincerely, acknowledging his mistake of causing her to fall.

Raven silently snatched the ruby out of his hands, reattaching it once more to her cloak. BeastBoy's outstretched hand lingered a moment before placing it behind his back, standing like a preschooler forced to stand in the corner to think about what he did.

Satisfied with her cloak, now comfortably adjusted, she turned back to BeastBoy, still brandishing a scornful look. BeastBoy merely held his hands behind his back, leaning back and forth, looking away, his partial smile now closer to a frown.

"Yes, it was," she said calmly, still no anger or any other noticeable emotion present.

BeastBoy's head drooped an inch.

"But…" she sighed, closing her eyes as she let out a deep breath, "We all have our faults." Raven looked away, looking up towards the ceiling, "Mine's always forgiving you."

She looked back to BeastBoy, whose head was still down, but peeking up at her face, some trace of hope renewed. "So… you… forgive me?"

"It's a bad habit of mine," she nodded slightly, pupils shifting away.

"That's a yes then?" he asked sheepishly.

"Yes, already," she said, "I forgive you."

BeastBoy was still for a minute, only blinking, not risking to move out of fear she might reconsider. Then, just as quickly he threw himself at her in a small hug, both arms around her shoulders.

"Oh, thank you! Thank you!" he beamed, shaking her fiercely, "I'll never ever ever do anything to…" he stopped, realizing what he was doing, "…uh oh."

"Ahem," Raven cleared her throat, her eyes gesturing to BeastBoy's arms, before returning to his face.

BeastBoy pulled his arms away in a flash, nervously scratching his head with a grin. "Uh… sorry," he choked out, "…again."

Raven turned her back to him, straightening her cloak once more, and gently patting her face to shake off a small creeping blush across her face.

"Well, now that we got that all sorted out," he said as Raven turned back to him, "Ya never did answer me before."

Raven gave another of her frequently questionable looks.

"So?" he asked, "Is there anything to do around here?"

Raven looked at him like he couldn't be serious.

"Come on, Raven. You gotta' have 'something' around here to do. I mean, even you can't tell me ALL you do is read and meditate. There has to be something else."

Raven opened her mouth to speak, to tell him off for criticizing her admittedly limited variety of activities, or maybe to merely let off some steam for his short mindedness. But, instead, stopped as a stray thought popped into her head. She'd had this idea on previous occasions, but had never really actually considered it, and certainly not with BeastBoy, of all people.

"Well… there is one thing," she said hesitantly.

Meanwhile, elsewhere in the tower, Cyborg stood in his quarters. Impatiently tapping his foot, he stood in front of a mid size control panel with several output screens, just below a large monitor. The very one he used not long ago which was linked to Raven's room. He leaned towards the control panel, hand reaching for the keyboard to toggle the visual in Raven's quarters. But just before his finger could tap a single button, he pulled his hand away.

"No," he said to himself, starting to pace back and forth.

Since his conversation with Raven had ended, Cyborg was itching with curiosity of what was happening in there. It had only been a little over an hour, and yet, so many questions were buzzing around his mind. Was BeastBoy awake yet? Were they all right? Were they getting hungry or did they need anything? What were they going to do if someone needed to go to the bathroom?

That, and there was absolutely nothing else to do in the tower except the long overdue repairs. And of the two options, it didn't take a genius to guess which he'd prefer.

"Maybe," he said, coming to a stop at the panel once more, reaching out again, "Just a quick peek?" He quickly pulled his hand away, shaking his head. "No! Come on, Cy. Get a grip here. Show a little self restraint."

Cyborg carefully weighed the situation in his head. Sure, he was the one who'd put them in Raven's room, but it was more or less to keep them isolated while they were sick. They were, after all, entitled to their privacy. No matter how tempting it was to look in on.

"Raven was ready to melt me down for scrap the last time, and BeastBoy wasn't even awake at the time. Who knows what she'd do to me if I go stickin' my nose in on her again," he reasoned.

He started to walk away from the control panel, his personal safety and self-preservation winning over his curiosity and mischievous impulse.

"On the other hand…" he stopped, turning to look back with a suggestive smirk, "This IS a once in a lifetime opportunity here. And I DID promise I'd check up on'em."

He took a few steps back towards the panel.

"Yeah," he agreed with himself, "I mean, two of my friends are under the weather, feeling who knows what kinda' aches or pains, or feelin' just plain lousy. It would be heartless of me NOT to look in on'em," he placed a hand over his chest, as if to make the sentiment as moving as possible.

He took another step.

"Besides, considerin' what Raven nearly tried to do to me, I can only imagine what green guts… I mean… my 'dear friend', BeastBoy, is goin' through. Knowin' him, he's probably said something, done something, or just implied something that's bound to make Raven wanna' rearrange his anatomy," he chuckled with pretend concern, "How could I truly call myself a friend if I let them go unsupervised while Raven puts the little guy's head on a stick?"

Cyborg was once more in front of the control panel, looking down at the controls as his line of thinking was allowed to process in his head.

"Then again," he looked up, "Is it really my place to spy on two of my closest friends, even if it is for their own safety and well being? Have I nothing better to do? Have I no decency? Have I no will power?" he asked himself in a hard, honest manner.

He looked at the keyboard, then to the blank monitor.

"Have I wasted enough time, only wondering about what I been missin'?" he grinned, typing a command on control panel.

Cyborg pressed the enter key, bringing the monitor online, reestablishing the link to Raven's monitor. Cyborg's eyes glued to the screen, awaiting the feed to come on. Unfortunately, all he got was a constant flow of static.

"Huh?" he said, puzzled, tampering with keys and switches.

Command after command, button after button, he'd look from the panel back to the monitor looking for any sign of improvement. Nothing but static continued to occupy the screen.

"Oh, Come on!" he groaned, continuing to fiddle with the keys, trying every sort of command he could think of. "Come on!"

Cyborg tugged at the wires making sure everything was still properly connected, but everything appeared to be in perfect working order.

The separate monitor systems had been unused for a great deal of time, and were probably never really maintained and serviced as regularly as any of the other sub systems in the tower. And the lack of upkeep couldn't have happened at a worse time for Cyborg.

Cyborg continued to attempt to fix the problem. After typing commands seemed to do no good, he dropped to the floor on his hands and knees, opening the service panel on the side of the controls, pulling a small portable tool kit from a compartment in his thigh.

Tightening screws, hammering on bolts, disconnecting and reconnecting every one of the thousands of wires, he hoped it would be enough to restore the picture. After minutes of fast paced toiling within the innards of the controls, Cyborg closed the service panel, springing back to his feet, looking back at the monitor.

Static still hissed on the screen.

"Aw, man!" he moaned in defeat.

On impulse he whacked the side of the monitor with his titanium-plated hand, turning to fold his arms and to sulk.

"Come on, BeastBoy," came Raven's voice from behind.

Cyborg's eyes widened in surprise. He turned to find the screen was still a blanket of static, but his strike to monitor had somehow kicked the audio back on. Though there was no picture, he could still make out whatever they were saying, almost as if the room had been bugged.

He leaned in closer, turning his head to the side, allowing for his ear to have a more direct line of hearing.

"I'm… I'm trying," he heard BeastBoy's reply in an unsure tone.

"Look, I know it's your first time, but come on. Don't keep me waiting," Raven said.

Cyborg went bug eyed, his face blank, his mind doing a double take. He shook his head, smacking his ear with the flat palm of his hand, knocking any loose circuits back into place. He couldn't have heard that right.

"Nah," Cyborg said to himself, drawing a mental picture, "Couldn't be. I'm just imagining things. That COULDN'T be what it sounds like."

"It's just so… hard," BeastBoy said shyly.

"That's the idea," Raven remarked, "Now, just… do it."

Cyborg pulled away for a moment. "I repeat," he said to himself, starting to go a little red in the face, unsure if he should be listening, "CAN'T be what it sounds like."

"B-But… if I put it there, won't you…" BeastBoy continued.

Cyborg forgot everything he'd just said and pressed his ear closer to the monitor once again.

"I'll be fine," came Raven's simple reply.

There was a short silence.

Cyborg strained to hear, thinking maybe he'd lost the sound. He dug around the inside of his ear with his pinky finger, clearing it out, then listening closely again.

A low groan could be heard.

"D-did I… did I do something wrong?" he heard BeastBoy ask nervously.

"No," Raven said, taking a deep breath, letting out a small barely audible sigh, "That's perfect."

The more Cyborg listened, the more in disbelief he found himself in. "BeastBoy, plus Raven," he counted on his fingers, "Together, alone, in Raven's bedroom, equals…"

He calculated a possible outcome, given the parameters of the situation as well as what he'd heard. Cyborg's face completely lit up in embarrassment, nearly blowing out the fuse in his cybernetic eye.

"No… way," he said calmly, "Come on! Come on!" he frantically backhanded the monitor, hoping to restore the video alongside the audio. "I know there ain't no way that could be goin' on," he tried to rationalize, "But I CAN'T TAKE THAT CHANCE. There ain't no way I can miss THIS!"

He continued to pound, slam, and even pick up the monitor itself and shake it vigorously.

"Come on, ya pumped up piece of cheap hardware! We're talkin' humiliation nation here! Total immunity from Raven and BB as my personal servant! Blackmail-A-Palooza, baby!" he shouted in desperation, wanting to see, but also sort of not wanting to see.

Continuing to shake the monitor, he gave one last heave with everything he had in his arm's hydraulics, slamming the monitor back down onto the base of the panel. After a short fizzle, the static disappeared, showing a visual of Raven's room. The monitor was a little worse for wear, scratches and dings all around the casing, but it was working again. Cyborg gripped the sides of the monitor, looking in with boundless curiosity.

There, atop Raven's bed, were BeastBoy and Raven, sitting comfortably, opposite of one another, with a chess board in between them.

"Checkmate," Raven said casually, taking one of BeastBoy's pawns with her queen, folding her arms.

"Dude!" BeastBoy cried in defeat, tugging at his hair, "Not again!"

"Oh," Cyborg merely stared, dumbfounded, both relieved and slightly disappointed he was wrong. Shortly following, a small peck of shame for his brief impulsive behavior.

Raven looked up, catching notice of Cyborg on the screen. "Yes, Cyborg?" she asked openly, as if to wonder the purpose of his interloping.

BeastBoy bent over backwards, looking up at the screen behind him. "Oh, hey Cy," BeastBoy waved, distracted, losing his balance, falling flat on his back against the mattress.

"Um… Yeah. Hi," he said, trying to act normally.

He surveyed the chessboard, as well as the stack of pieces to Raven's side, no doubt all of BeastBoy's lost pieces during play. He was somewhat bewildered by the sight of BeastBoy engaged in a game of chess, and with Raven.

"You're… teaching him chess?" he asked, now understanding of the 'first time' remark he'd overheard.

"Admittedly, yes," Raven answered, "As hard as that may be to believe."

"And BeastBoy can follow that?" Cyborg added, still perplexed. Ordinarily, BeastBoy couldn't handle most simple games, let alone something as strategically complex as chess. Heck, he couldn't play a game of Black Jack without a calculator.

"He's… getting better," Raven shrugged, "It took me 'thirteen' moves to beat him this time."

BeastBoy grinned at Cyborg as if it sounded like some sort of achievement.

"A significant improvement, considering the eight moves it took to beat him last game," she added, "The hardest part was getting him to properly pronounce the names of the pieces."

"I still stay 'L moving horsey' and 'straight ahead crown thingy' are way better names," he crossed his arms in mild defiance.

Raven was no prodigy, but she was well suited for the game of chess, as Cyborg could testify from his own personal experience from what few rounds the two of them had played on rare occasions. The fact that BeastBoy had played more than one game with her was impressive by itself. But then, this was BeastBoy. He had to be a sore loser at everything he played.

"Still," Raven admitted reluctantly, "Progress is progress. Even for BeastBoy."

"Yeah, Cy. Check it out," BeastBoy proudly balanced a knight on his finger, "I'm playin' a genius's game, and not totally reeking at it."

Cyborg rolled his eyes. "Boy, the standards of genius musta' gone way down hill," he smirked.

BeastBoy glared at the screen, the chess piece falling off his finger.

"So, to what do we owe this intrusion?" Raven cut in, tapping her fingers against the chessboard.

"Huh?" Cyborg blurted out, "Oh! Uh… um…" he scrambled, sounding very shifty as his eyes darted from side to side as if trying to think of an excuse. "Just… uh… checkin' to see if you guys are alright," he spoke quickly, "Ya know, seein' if ya needed anything. Juice, aspirin, cond-aahhh…." he caught himself, about to blurt out something Raven would surely pummel him for implying alongside his earlier teasing, thinking back to what he'd been listening in on, "…ahh… press? Cond-press. COMPRESS! Yeah, that's it! A hot compress."

If Cyborg had been wearing a shirt, he'd be tugging at the collar, finding it hard to swallow.

"Well, now that ya mention it," BeastBoy said, sounding slightly congested, giving another sniffle, gently rubbing his forehead, "I could use some…"

"Great," he cut off before BeastBoy could finish, "Whelp, sounds like you guys are doin' okay. Remember just call if ya need me. Till then, I'll let you two go back to bed… er… uh… sleep togeth… um…" he fumbled his words at top speed. "BYE!"

And in a flash, the screen was blank again, leaving BeastBoy and Raven to stare at their reflection in the blank monitor, trying to account for Cyborg's check up, and what he'd tried so desperately to keep from saying.

"Okay. Did that strike anyone else as… weird?" Raven asked, still fixed on the screen before looking back at BeastBoy.

BeastBoy merely shrugged, paying it no mind, going back to focusing on their game.

**Next Chapter: **It appears BeastBoy and Raven are under Cyborg's care as they recuperate from the flu, as well as confined to Raven's room for the duration and possibly even giving new definition to the term 'strange bedfellows'. Thus far, it appears they've got a grip on passing the time, but will it last? At the very least, they'll be perfectly safe and without incident in Raven's room under Cyborg's watchful eye. Of course, chapter previews have been misleading before.


	12. Magic For Dummies

**Quality Time**

**Chapter 12: Magic For Dummies**

"Checkmate," Raven said, moving her pawn, clinching another effortless victory.

"Ugh!" BeastBoy groaned in defeat, "Okay, okay. One more time."

Five minutes later.

"Checkmate," Raven said once more.

"What, again? What is it with you?" he pulled on his hair. "Alright, just one more game. I think I'm startin' to get the hang of this."

Four minutes later.

"Checkmate," Raven announced, clenching another consecutive win.

"Aww!" BeastBoy slumped, his head drooping in defeat.

He took a deep breath, letting out a small sigh, as if conceding to a prolonged surrender. An impressive effort for his first time playing chess to be sure, even if it was only because he'd lost a total of fifteen straight games and kept playing.

BeastBoy scooted over to the side, making to exit from off of Raven's bed. He made certain to go slow, partially because his feet had fallen asleep from sitting Indian style for so long across from the chess board, but also still faintly dizzy from the effects of the flu. The chess game had been the only thing keeping his mind off being sick. And now, with nothing to distract him, other than the fact that he had been sealed in Raven's room for the better part of an hour or two without incurring so much as a bruise, he was quickly brought back to the realization of just why he had been quarantined to begin with.

"Had enough?" Raven asked, watching him as his feet touched the floor.

"Hmph," BeastBoy smirked as if she was joking, "You're just lucky I don't have a white flag, or I'd show you."

Raven rolled her eyes, the closest a person could get to a smile most of the time.

BeastBoy shakily rose to his feet, his knees slightly wobbling from supporting his weight with both his feet still asleep. He attempted to step forward, only to wobble backwards, stumbling back onto Raven's bed, knocking over the chess pieces still remaining on the board.

Raven looked down at the scattered pieces laying across her bed to BeastBoy, deadpan expression present.

"Eh heh heh," he chuckled nervously, massaging his feet, "First day with these feet."

Raven sighed, paying it no mind as she gathered up the pieces and the board, setting them off to the side on the floor.

After a moment of vigorously rubbing his feet, rotating his ankles, confident his feet were now awake; he got up once more, only this time without the falling down part.

Raven paid the accomplishment little mind as she herself chose to settle into her usual meditative position, closing her eyes, beginning to focus. If it was safe to assume BeastBoy was taking a break, or just plain going to hang his head in shame for a while, she figured she might as well take the opportunity to tighten the mental reigns of her powers. Just because Raven wasn't using her powers didn't mean it'd be impossible for her emotions slip. Better safe than sorry was common practice when it came to her powers.

BeastBoy, still slouching in his posture somewhat, made his way over to one of the far bookcases against the wall. Seeing as how it was the only thing he could observe that wasn't under lock and key, or a potential danger given the mystic or otherwise unknown origin of countless other items in the room, he decided the least amount of harm would come from just glancing at Raven's books. Besides, he had to find something to occupy what little attention span was nestled in that green noggin of his, and he had always been semi curious as to just what kind of books Raven had in here.

BeastBoy stood before a large wooden bookcase, studying shelf upon shelf of Raven's books, manuscripts, and other written parchments that were no doubt well beyond his reading level. It was almost intimidating considering just how many large books were neatly stacked and arranged in these large shelves that stretched higher than he was. But then again, almost everything was.

He began to outstretch his arm, reaching towards one of the books. He paused, struck by a thought, slowly peeking over his shoulder, finding Raven with both eyes closed, seemingly deep into meditation on her bed. Though she wasn't chanting her mantra out loud, he could easily make out her soundlessly mouthing the words, totally preoccupied. BeastBoy knew how territorial Raven was about her room, and how she might react to him touching anything, especially her books, but he had to wrap his mind around something.

He turned back reaching his hand farther towards the first row of books at eye level.

"What are you doing?" came a passive query behind him, stopping him cold.

BeastBoy hesitantly looked back, finding Raven with one eye open, staring right through him. He flexed his fingers nervously, still reaching out towards the shelf, before quickly pulling his hand behind his back.

"Um… uh… n-nothing," he voiced innocently as if he'd gotten caught with his hand in the proverbial cookie jar. "Just… uh… ya know. Gonna' take a look see what you've got to read around here," he extended his thumb towards the shelf.

"You're going to read?" she asked doubtfully. "You?"

"Hey, its not like I don't know how," he defended. "I read stuff all the time. Comics… and um…" he looked up at the ceiling, trying to think, "Comics, and uh… um… I said comics, right?"

Raven gave a look that seemed to say, "It figures."

"Okay, so maybe I don't read a lotta' different stuff, but I read," he crossed his arms.

"Looking at pictures with worded sound effects doesn't exactly strike me as the most scintillating reading material," she closed her eyes, looking away, "Anyway, I think those books are just slightly out of your league."

"Okay, I admit books and me don't get along too well. Especially the kind with words, but I'm desperate here," he pleaded.

"BeastBoy, nothing against you and your… 'reading preferences'," she worded carefully, glancing back to the shelf, "But those are the kind of books where pictures aren't necessarily in big supply."

"Hey, I can read books without pictures just fine," he shrugged. "I use the phone book."

Raven sighed.

BeastBoy turned back to the shelf, giving a quick scan from left to right, trying to find a particular book that stood out enough to interest him. "So, any recommendations for something up to my speed?" he grinned.

"Sorry, I'm all out of "The Little Engine That Could"", she answered as she drifted back into meditation.

BeastBoy frowned, paying her no mind.

BeastBoy turned his attention back to the books in front of him. Unbeknownst to him, Raven had taken one last quick look as he perused the shelf, clearly a small ounce of doubt in her expression, but quickly dismissing it to return to her meditation.

Under normal circumstances, Raven probably would've pushed the issue further. How her books were not casual reading material, how they were far too advanced for BeastBoy, and how she straight up just didn't want him fooling with them. Not to mention the fact that most of her books contained powerful spells and incantations that could do unimaginable damage. But, she left BeastBoy to browse anyway. She was, after all, in the midst of deep meditation, her thoughts already beginning to simmer, and getting BeastBoy to change his mind would be a chore all its own. No sense in getting herself worked up more than necessary. She was trying to keep her powers in check, not blow a gasket by debating with BeastBoy, and over literature of all things.

Secondly, she could relate to the feeling of wanting to keep occupied and spend as little time and energy dwelling on the thought of the two of them stuck in her bedroom as possible. And the added notion that she needed a distraction from the still faint, but lingering feelings of sickness was an added incentive.

But most of all, she wasn't worried about BeastBoy glancing through her books for another reason entirely. Large portions of Raven's books were encrypted, written in various other languages that would be well beyond BeastBoy's knowledge. If Raven had to spend countless hours just to decipher a few pages, there was little chance of him actually reading any language outside of English. They'd be impossible for him to read. And while a sizeable number of her other books were in English, she could be certain they would not conform to BeastBoy's tastes. Raven knew all too well his short attention span. The first five-syllable word he couldn't pronounce and he'd close the book and be done with it, cold turkey.

Still, she just didn't feel one hundred percent comfortable with the idea of BeastBoy meddling with anything in her room, even if it was with a one in a million chance of anything going wrong. This was BeastBoy after all. Nothing in the known universe was THAT idiot proof in her eyes.

Raven gently shook the lingering concern off, sinking deeper into conscious thought, deciding not to press.

BeastBoy ran his index finger across the backs of book after book, trying to select one. "Hmm…" he thought out loud to himself, "So many choices and it makes so little difference."

All the books looked the same except for a difference in color, and even that didn't make picking out one any easier. They were all different shades of black, blue, brown, and several other dark colors. There was no such thing as bright in Raven's room, making them blend together almost seamlessly. And what few books did have a title or some sort of name inscribed on the side, most of them were a mix of markings and symbols, comparable to something out of Egyptian hieroglyphics.

"Okay," BeastBoy said to himself, cracking his knuckles, "Guess we'll just have to pick one with the old BeastBoy scientific method."

He took a deep breath.

"Eenie, Meanie, Miney," he darted his finger from book to book in the most random order possible, "Moe."

His finger came to a stop on the back of a leather bound dark crimson colored book. Carefully reaching from the top, he pulled the book from the shelf. Grasping it firmly, he flipped it over, holding it an inch away from his face, trying to read the title.

"Pyrus Volatus," he somehow managed to sound out. "Huh," he shrugged, "Must be French."

He flipped open the book, finding it to be as thick as a stack of twenty or thirty of his comics put together. He began flipping hastily through pages. The print was fine, and he had to squint to make out some of the smaller words, but at the very least it was in English. Unfortunately, after skimming a few dozen pages, he quickly verified Raven's words. Not a single page length illustration. A few small symbols, but nothing to leave to his imagination.

"Aw, man," sighed quietly, "Only thing this book is for is reading. What a drag."

BeastBoy flipped a few more pages. He stopped upon coming to an unusually short line of words with a weird looking mark above it, as if highlighting this one sentence. Everything beneath it, after just a quick glance, seemed to go on and on in long and almost painful detail by BeastBoy's state of mind and comprehension. But everything seemed to draw from this one line. Three short words. And that weird symbol he could almost place.

The symbol was of three pointy lines, zigzagging straight up. He couldn't quite put his finger on it, but he was almost certain he'd seen something like it before.

"Let's see," BeastBoy held the book closer, almost burying his nose in it to make out the words, attempting to sound them out. "In-Flame-us Con-Jore Pole-Are-Us".

BeastBoy crooked his eyebrow.

"Okay. Weird," he said bluntly, "But what's so magical about…?"

And that was when he noticed the smell.

BeastBoy's nostrils flared, his keen sense of smell detecting something new in the air. His nose started to twitch more and more, the smell getting stronger. He looked to his left, then to the right, unable to identify the aroma.

"Is Cy cookin' dinner? Cause somethin' smells like it's burnin'," he said.

Funny thing about magic. You didn't have to be an expert to use it. A few magic words were all it took. And while pronunciation was crucial, just enough resemblance to the correct words could set them off. Just not with the desired effect.

A single drop of sweat ran down the side of his face, causing him to look up, startled to find a small spark putting off an orange glow, a small trail of smoke rising from his head. Instantly, a portion of his hair ignited into a small-organized campfire.

"Dah!" he yelped, scrambling to close the book, frantically stamping away at his hair with it, attempting to smother the fire.

**BONK! BONG! BONK! BONK!**

After a dozen hard slams to the top of his skull, BeastBoy lay face down on the floor with the mother of all headaches. A few strands of his green hair were now a dark singe of black. One small smoldering ember on the tip of his hair was all that remained of his first spell gone awry. Moving his head just enough, he wet the tips of his index finger and thumb, reaching over his head, pinching the ember and extinguishing it with a low hiss.

Slowly, BeastBoy sat up, inspecting the damage to his grilled hair. Thankfully, it wasn't as bad as he might've thought except for the large scattering of blackened follicles at the base of his head. He flipped over the book to the cover, again finding that zigzag symbol at the very bottom. Now, he could place it. It looked just like the one on some of the labels from Cyborg's equipment and containers in his workshop.

"And the lesson of the day?" he mused to himself, "Pointy lines are the international symbol for fire." And with that, he dropped the fire conjuring book over his shoulder letting it fall to the floor.

No sooner had he let go of the book had something dawned on him. Namely, his roommate. He reluctantly looked behind him. No doubt Raven would be none too pleased with him right about now. Reading from her books, dabbling in magic, nearly setting her whole room ablaze? Oh yeah, that was grounds for public execution, and that was if she was in a good mood.

He half expected to find Raven with a satisfied smirk for nearly deep-frying himself. To be greeted by an, "I told you so" or a "Serves you right." Even anticipating her to go as far as pummeling him once more over the head with the book before reading him the riot act.

Instead, he was astonished to find Raven still deep in meditation.

True, he hadn't made all that much noise, and it's not as if he'd run in circles around the room screaming his head off. The fire hadn't been all that big, but the repeated thud of him cracking himself over the head with a heavy book? Surely, that would've snapped her out of it.

Staring for a minute more, certain Raven had not yet come out of her trance, he decided to count his blessings. What she didn't know wouldn't hurt her. Or more accurately, what SHE didn't know wouldn't hurt HIM.

With a sense of relief, he carefully placed the book back in its designated spot on the shelf. Looking it over to make sure the book and every other like it were exactly the way they were where he found them, he stepped back, sitting on the floor to wait for Raven to come out of her trance and pretend like nothing had ever happened.

Crisis averted. No death by magic barbeque. No penalty to be dealt by Raven. All he had to do was to sit there and wait for Raven to come out of her trance. Which would give him plenty of time to come up with an explanation for his hair.

Yup. All he had to do was just sit there.

Sit there and wait.

Sit and wait with nothing to do.

Sitting still.

Do nothing but a large amount of sitting.

BeastBoy started to rock side to side, swaying as if he were the swinging gear of a grandfather clock. His seventh swing, he rocked too far, falling over on his side, ear flat against the floor. He let out a sigh. "Wish Raven woulda' just woken up and yelled at me."

Longing for punishment, the sign of boredom setting in. While not the most fun thing in the world, evading Raven's wrath through a series of exaggerated lies was more exciting than this. BeastBoy just continued to lie on his side on the floor, staring up at the bookcase.

So many books, almost staring back at him. At least that's how it seemed through his dull, weary eyes, growing more bored by the minute. Seconds were starting to feel like hours, and there was only one thing in the room with the slightest chance of alleviating that boredom. And one of those things had nearly turned BeastBoy into a green dish of flambé.

Of course, even BeastBoy was not without some rational sense of reason. Even he could learn from a mistake. After nearly making himself into a five-alarm fire, there was no way he'd chance opening another one of Raven's paper lined death traps. No one was that careless. Not THAT foolish.

"Wonder what else these things can do," he said, perking up with a smile of curiosity, scooting back over to the front of the case.

No, BeastBoy was indeed not foolish. He'd long since surpassed it.

After one last quick look to double check Raven was indeed still meditating, Beastboy removed another book from the shelf below where he'd selected the first one. He'd hoped this one would be a little easier to read, and with less repercussions. He also hoped to stumble onto a hair restoration spell, but one step at a time.

The book was a pale shade of grayish blue. No symbols present on the cover like the last book as he quickly gave it the once over, still cautious upon opening it. Although the book was in English, this one was also a jumble of big words and even smaller text, making the already intimidating large sentences seem to run on forever.

Once more, BeastBoy skimmed a dozen or so pages, still no pictures to be found. Not even so much as the benefit of symbols like the fire conjuring book, making it even less of an exciting read. The only thing that kept BeastBoy with the book in hand was the sole thought that it contained magic, as he'd learned the hard way previously. And once he really thought about it, any book that could make a person lob fire or anything else like something out of his comic book and Saturday morning cartoon fantasies was okay by him.

Stopping on a random page, BeastBoy rested his palm on the center of the page, dragging two extended fingers down the surface, scanning for anything that was small enough to sample that didn't run on into six paragraphs, just enough to see what this particular book did.

He flipped the page. Then another.

"Too wordy," he began to dismiss one written entry after another, "Too long. WAY too long. Dude, I don't even know if that's English or an algebra equation." The print was so small, apostrophes and commas were starting to look like numbers.

He flipped another page. "Ah! Here we go," he smiled, coming upon a simple four-word phrase just before a mass of complicated looking paragraphs ensued below. Resting the book on the floor, he placed his finger just below the chosen line, squinting to properly make out the words. "This one looks easy enough," he gave a nod, resting a hand on his hip, leaning down to read.

"Uh…" he analyzed the words more carefully, hoping to bring out whatever hocus pocus it was without a magical misfire, "… Cray-Oh O-Rus Neh-J Free-On." BeastBoy removed his hand from the book, waving in a circle, wiggling his fingers as he read to add dramatic effect.

Nothing happened.

BeastBoy looked around the room. The bookcase, the room, Raven, no signs of anything magical. Nothing had disappeared or had materialized out of nowhere. Perhaps the first time had been a fluke.

"Hmmph," he shrugged, making to get up off the floor. "Wonder what went wrong," he said to himself scratching his head. "Maybe this one's past it's expiration date. Or maybe it just needs new batterieeeEEEEEEESSS!"

BeastBoy fell over onto his back. He'd gone to take his hand off his hip to pick up the book as he leaned forward to stand, but when his hand wouldn't budge, he lost his balance.

"What the?" he asked out loud, looking down to find why he was unable to move his hand. BeastBoy's eyes went wide. Apparently, his reading from the book had an effect after all. Looking down, BeastBoy was at a loss to discover a large block of ice frozen over his lower torso, from where his hand rested on his hips down to the midsection of his thighs. It was like he was wearing a pair of shorts made out of ice.

Grabbing a hold of his encased arm, frozen just above the wrist with his free one, he tugged vigorously as the cold chill of the ice was beginning to become more noticeable, sending an arctic shiver up his spine. "Th-th-th-th-th-this-s-s-s-s-s-s s-s-s-s-s-s-s-stink-k-k-k-ks-s-s-s-s," he chattered between his teeth. He pulled, and yanked, and tugged, but he just couldn't seem to pull his arm free. The ice was frozen too solid around his hand. He strained several minutes more, pull after valiant pull, stopping only when the tension began to wear on his trapped arm, feeling as though his hand would break at the wrist before the ice would. "Okay," he inhaled sharply, pushing himself back up into sitting position, "Doesn't look like I can pull it out. So, I guess I'm just gonna' half to break it out."

Resting his one free hand on the center of the ice, he balled his hand into a fist. With a quick breath he lifted his fist into the air and brought it down fast and hard onto the ice. He hit square and true on the dead center of the frozen barrier, but doing no visible damage. Once more, he raised his arm, striking the same area a second time. Then a third. And then a fourth. He kept pounding away, starting to hear low creaks and cracks in the ice. After the eighth or ninth consecutive hit, a large crack stemmed from the center of his strikes.

"Alright," he responded with a chill, "One more oughta' do it."

He raised back his fist one more time, winding up to deliver the final blow. He hurled his fist downward with every bit of strength he had left.

**!!! CRACK!!!**

With a loud shatter, the ice split apart, large fragments scattering across the floor. BeastBoy bared a wide grin in relief and triumph. But his sense of accomplishment was cut short as his smile faded almost instantly, his face twisting in pain. Apparently, upon breaking through the center of the ice, which itself had covered his lower extremities, BeastBoy had powered on through, dealing an agonizing hit to his private region. With both hands now free, he clutched himself gingerly, curling into a ball, as if all he could do instinctually to endure the pain.

"At... least..." he choked out in high tenor, "I don't... have... to put... ice... on it," he quivered, still shaking off the chill.

Moments passed, as did the pain. BeastBoy regained himself, slowly getting to his feet. As the last instances of soreness from his injury faded and his lower body began to resume normal temperature, he placed the book back on the shelf. Once more, he double-checked with extreme hesitation to ensure that Raven still hadn't caught onto him. As luck would have it, against all odds, she was still deep in meditation. Still in her trance, not a hair out of place from when last he checked. BeastBoy let out a small sigh of relief. This was twice now he'd dodged a bullet. But as hard as it was to believe, it wasn't as much of a relief as he would've thought. In fact, it sort of made BeastBoy worry in a way.

Raven was never THIS deep in meditation. Sure, he'd seen her in trances before, but never to the point where anything he did wouldn't distract or snap her out of it. Of course all the times prior he had never intentionally meant to disturb her, nor was he trying to now. But if BeastBoy could read through her books, ignite himself on fire, and turn a portion of his body into a popsicle, maybe he was losing his touch.

Both counts of reading from Raven's books, he was certain she would've come out of her meditation just in time to catch him in the act of doing something as foolish as what he'd been doing. But here he was, two books and two magical backfires later, and she still hadn't so much as flinched. BeastBoy was sure that even in meditation, no matter how out of it Raven seemed, she had to have some kind of sensory perception. Even subconsciously she would've given him a smack on the head or a telepathic berating for the kind of stuff he'd pulled. Then again, she hadn't really given him all that much of a warning for reading the books in the first place. Maybe she did know. Maybe she was ignoring him. Could it be that Raven had somehow developed an immunity to his antics? That maybe Raven was starting to perceive him as... predictable. Boring even?

BeastBoy shook his head. "Nah," he said to himself, dismissing the idea with a wave of his hand.

And yet, the thought still remained. There was no way this sort of hi-jinx could be predictable or tame by anyone's standards, especially not Raven. But just how much more would it take before Raven took notice?

_"Just how much WOULD it take?"_ he thought to himself.

And it was about that time that BeastBoy did something he hadn't done once since he'd begun fooling around with her books. He smiled. More like a mischievous smirk. The kind he wore whenever he was about to do something he probably shouldn't. BeastBoy slowly inched towards the shelves once more as the last cold tingle from the prior spell left him. He now had a goal set for himself. How much was too much? What kind of magic would BeastBoy have to inflict on himself before it got Raven's attention? Nothing fatal he hoped, but it made things more interesting, and certainly more worth the risk. Sort of like a game. But of course, to BeastBoy, anything if not everything could be a game.

He studied the row of books on the next shelf, carefully inspecting for any kind of familiar markings or symbols. Words would've been better, but he still couldn't understand half the words on most of the books. Everything other than the words 'The, And, or Of' seemed out of his pronunciation level. On a whim, he pulled a dark navy blue book into his lap, sitting down to read. There was a large symbol on the front, but he had no idea what it meant. The symbol was of a simplistic stick figure resembling a human male, with a circle of arrows pointing in every direction around him.

"Hmm," he lightly scratched his head, focusing on the arrows around the figure, "Wonder what this one does. Flying? Move really fast? Maybe it means ya can just shoot arrows?" He shrugged, hardly caring, unable to even produce a solid guess. There was only one way he was going to find out anyway.

Little did BeastBoy realize that the arrows surrounding the figure on the book were symbolic. They stood for a magical property that BeastBoy could relate too more than anyone. The arrows stood for change. Or, to put it closer to magical terms of context, transformation.

Had BeastBoy chosen to actually read the introduction passages or even the index, he might've been able to guess as much. But if BeastBoy had made it as far as he had without bothering to read instructions to understand the power of magic he was trifling with, now would be no different. He quickly skimmed the first forty or so pages, impatiently flipping past them, diving right into the heart of the material as it were.

Surprisingly, this book was chock full of symbols and other indicators for each individual verse, meaning that each one was its own separate spell. Of course, BeastBoy's cognitive learning skills and reasoning ability were still unable to make sense out of them. Unfortunately, the headings and descriptions of the spells were not in English, even though the actual incantations of them were, eliminating any chance of fully understanding what he was reading. It looked like a cross between Latin, Japanese, and Egyptian hieroglyphics.

BeastBoy turned the book upside down. Then, ninety degrees to the side, diagonally, and every other way he could, trying to make sense out of any of it. He tried to associate the written spells bit by bit, trying to see what part resembled what letter, literally piecing together the words. It was like putting together a jigsaw puzzle, except using letters instead of pictures, seeing what letters looked like they might belong. It was like he was trying to interpret what was written in the closest way he could to readable English.

Meanwhile, Raven sat dormant upon her bed, still unmoving, unaware of what had been transpiring a few mere feet away from her. The empath that she was, she had been keeping a small channel of consciousness open to her surroundings, able to sense a small degree of frustration from time to time, but she didn't consider that anything out of the ordinary considering BeastBoy was attempting to read, and from material on her shelves no less. She was fairly surprised that he was still at it. This had to be a personal best for BeastBoy, both in concentration and in train of thought.

Surprise and curiosity aside, Raven still could not help but feel distracted, but if she was to be stuck in the same room as BeastBoy, she couldn't afford to break concentration every five minutes only to keep looking over her shoulder. Even if a small amount of doubt was all that was keeping her from totally immersing herself in meditation, she sensed no real cause for alarm, and she had to take every necessary precaution to strengthen her will and keep her powers contained during this time of illness. Nothing she couldn't handle.

So, why was she getting this deep down foreboding feeling?

BeastBoy thumbed a few more pages, selecting one at random. It had become apparent he was never going to deduce what the meanings of the spells were until after he'd read from them. Which, of course, suited him just fine, considering that was how he'd managed up to this point. Nothing like trial by error.

"Lemme' see now," he scrolled his index finger down the page. "This one looks just as good to start as any other."

He briefly read the entire verse of the spell, doing as best he could to sound it out before hand. He lifted both hands in the air, making sure there was no way he'd aim the spell towards his person by accident like last time.

"Po-Zestus Con-Rar…" he read, head down, focused on the page, "… Cheer-Us."

He waited a moment for any kind of activity.

Nothing came.

BeastBoy looked to his left, his right, then lifted the book, searching the floor beneath him. He then quickly patted himself down, verifying nothing on fire, frozen, or missing from its proper place. A dud, perhaps?

"Pfft!" he huffed, "What a jip. What'd I do wrong?" BeastBoy underlined the spell once more with his finger. He'd worded it as best he had the others.

About this time, Raven's eyes began to stir, slowly starting to open. She'd felt a brief instance of something, but couldn't quite place it. On top of that, she was starting to feel a slight draft.

She groggily opened her eyes. Having been in deep meditation always made her feel a bit as though she'd just come out of a deep sleep. And the minor headache still quietly residing itself in the back of her head was also there to greet her. At the very least, her meditation had took her just far enough out of conscious thought that she'd almost forgotten all about her being sick. But now reality was starting to surface, bestowing the headache and mild discomfort all back to her.

Raven surveyed the room. As she'd suspected from her empathic senses, BeastBoy was still on the floor, sitting Indian style with his back to her, the edges of a book sticking out from atop his lap. This confirmed those few spikes of frustration she'd registered previously.

"Let it never be said boredom never yielded positive results," she murmured to herself.

She might've actually taken the time to pry as to which of her books he'd been reading and how many times he'd thrown them away out of spite, only to fish them out of the garbage once he remembered they weren't his. But it would be easier for her to slip back into meditation if she left it alone. There didn't seem to be anything wrong, and there was no visible reason to scold BeastBoy for anything, at least not yet. It would be faster since she'd only just come out of it and asking BeastBoy would no doubt bring about wave after wave of questions, whines, and protests for something else to do. Plus, he didn't seem to notice she was back. He'd be none the wiser if she just resumed meditation.

"_BeastBoy none the wiser,"_ she thought musingly. _"That's pretty much hitting the nail on the head."_

She gave one last look, making certain everything was just as she remembered it. Despite her initial objections to BeastBoy reading from her books, as she had predicted, it didn't appear he'd been very successful, as she might've guessed. BeastBoy might have been accident prone, but with magic of the caliber in her books, dumb luck would only get you so far.

Giving a small nod to the correction of her assumption, she gave one last inspection, gave a brief stretch, rested her hands on her mini skirt, took a deep breath, closed her eyes, and began to tune out everything around her.

…

Raven's eyes shot open.

Mini-WHAT? Since when did Raven wear a mini skirt? Since when did Raven wear any kind of skirt for that matter?

Raven looked down, under first impression that maybe her eyes were playing tricks on her, or maybe the flu was making her hallucinate. But this was neither mirage nor faulty vision. Raven was dressed in a long sleeved wool half shirt that cut off just above her stomach. It was bright yellow with green trim. A mini skirt of the same green as her top's trim hung from around her waist, just enough to reach her knees. For reason's unknown, Raven was sporting an ensemble identical to that of a high school cheerleader. There were even pom-poms in each hand, bringing her hands to eye level, scanning her arms from sleeve to sleeve.

The shock setting in, Raven slowly began to collect her thoughts.

"Boy, I really hope Raven kept the receipt for this one," said BeastBoy, holding up the book, "It's defective or something."

BeastBoy still had his back to Raven, oblivious to the effects of the incantation he'd read. He hadn't even thought to look in Raven's direction, figuring that the spell simply hadn't worked.

Raven stared for a moment, still recovering from the shock of her outfit being transformed. Quickly putting two and two together, deducing what'd happened, her eyes narrowed. She knew she should've been more careful about letting BeastBoy near here books, and now she was paying for it.

Raven slightly leaned forward, about to get off of her bed, intent on scolding, smacking, and condemning BeastBoy for his meddling with her spell books (not necessarily in that order). But before she could even stretch one leg over the side of her bed, she was struck with a sudden realization, stopping her cold.

Raven froze, her expression shifting, looking down at her outfit. BeastBoy hadn't noticed what had happened yet, and she'd prefer to keep it that way.

"_If he sees me like this,"_ she thought, _"He'll never let me live it down."_

Raven quietly reversed her direction, slowly inching for the other side of the bed. She couldn't let anyone, especially BeastBoy see her in this getup. If she could just get to the closet and change without him noticing…

"Lemme' try another," BeastBoy said to himself, flipping the page, "Just to be sure."

Raven paused, looking over her shoulder at his words.

"Uh…" he browsed the page. "Holy-Gore-Us In-Fatuous Nun-Moral-Um".

No sooner had the final syllable left his lips than Raven felt a wave of change overcome her like before. Raven looked down to find her ensemble changed in the blink of an eye.

A long black robe covered her from head to toe, with a matching black hood draped over the top of her head with a stiff white collar highlighting the top. Raven was now dawning the look of a nun.

While still embarrassed at the sudden change of attire, she was at least comforted by the fact that this one at least covered more of her body with a looser fit and left less to the imagination. Yet somehow, she knew, deep down in the core consciousness of her emotions, her red doppelganger, the enraged portion of her demonic heritage, probably felt like it was boiling neck deep in holy water. Still, she couldn't let BeastBoy see her like this.

As quickly as she had stopped, she resumed her way once again, tip toeing to the closet, now only a few mere feet from the door. All she had to do was duck inside and she was in the clear.

As Raven carefully tip toed further, she looked over her shoulder to make certain she hadn't been noticed. Just then, her robe, sweeping the floor, tripped her up. Stepping forward with the excess material still beneath her foot, Raven fell forward, smacking the floor with a thud.

Alerted, BeastBoy's ears perked up, his head beginning to turn. "Huh?"

Raven quickly gasped, realizing she's been made. In a single movement she got to her feet, dashed the last four steps, tore open the closet door, and slammed it shut behind her.

BeastBoy turned his head only in time to catch the closet door close.

Meanwhile inside, Raven took a deep breath having just narrowly made it by the skin of her teeth. Placing a hand against her forehead, she took a brief moment to catch her breath and to ease her head, partially from the fall but mostly the wooziness from moving so fast in her weakened condition.

"Raven?" asked BeastBoy, getting to one knee, leaning to the side to catch full view of the closet. "Raven, you okay?"

A minute passed.

The closet door creaked open, Raven's head peering out, minus the hood, which she'd let down. "Fine," she said effortlessly, perfectly masking any panic or anger with her usual dull expression and tone.

BeastBoy raised an eyebrow. "Um… O…kay. Uh, what happened?"

"Nothing. I restlessly emerged from meditation, and I need something to help me focus. So, I'm getting it," she reasoned vaguely. "Here. In the closet." Her eyes shifted briefly to the side.

"Something to help you meditate?" he asked. "You don't have your own tea brewery in there do ya?"

Raven's face gave a lazy uninterested response. "No," she said simply, "And tea isn't made in breweries."

"Oh," BeastBoy replied. "Then… you're getting' your magic mirror thingy?"

Raven's eyes shifted again, wanting to change as quickly as possible. But at the very least, it seemed he was buying it. "Yes. Yes, I'm… getting my meditation mirror."

BeastBoy stared blankly. "Uh… isn't that it," he pointed to her dresser, "Over there."

Sure enough, Raven's mirror was lying in plain sight atop her dresser.

Raven was rendered speechless. She pondered her next move. Should she continue the lie and risk talking herself further into a corner? Just blurt out the truth? Pretend she had been sleep walking while awake?

"_No, that kind of thing only works with BeastBoy,"_ she thought to herself regarding that last option.

Raven opened her mouth to speak, breathing in. But no words followed. She stayed like that only a few seconds before sticking her head back in the closet, closing it once more.

BeastBoy merely stared at the closet, a baffled look to him.

"Eh," he shrugged. "Maybe she just needs some space." BeastBoy settled back down to the floor, picking up the book once more. "She'll be okay if I just leave her in the dark for a while."

Dark was right. Raven fumbled inside to remove the altered outfit as well as get a change of clothes from off the racks in her closet.

Outside, BeastBoy thumbed thru a few more pages from the book in hand. "Okay, last one. All or nothing," he ran his finger down the page once more.

The closet door pulled back. Raven stepped out, wearing her casual leotard and cloak, straightening her sleeves. She aimed a dead stare at the back of the green boy on the floor, so preoccupied with the book, he hadn't noticed.

"Third times a charm," he mused to himself.

Raven began the slow march towards him, fists balled at her sides, her eyes glaring down at him. The embarrassment his accidental magic had put her through had not been lost on her.

"_Here goes nothin',"_ he thought.

Raven's shadow loomed over BeastBoy, extending her arm, beginning to reach for him.

"Glam-Us Volupu-Sich Bunny-Dus" he read, in a bored tone, unsure if it would yield any different result from the first two.

Raven stopped again, BeastBoy inches from her grasp, feeling the sudden mysticism of the spell taking effect.

"_Oh no,"_ she thought, fearful to even look, _"Not again."_

Raven had just changed and shuttered to think what it had been replaced with. Even she had not read every book in her possession, let alone the one BeastBoy had read from. She really only thoroughly read those of significance to her own powers, so there was no way to predict or anticipate to what kind of extent the spell could go.

Against every instinct not to look, knowing she'd be better off, she slowly looked down, mortified beyond belief, her cheeks blushing bright red.

Raven was dressed in a tight black sleeveless cocktail dress with white frills bordering the sides. She wore black high heels, solitary white collars around both her wrists and her neck with a short black bow tie, and a pair of black rabbit ears hung from a hair clip on the top of her head toping off the look. She closely resembled something out of a Vegas showgirl act or, perhaps more accurately, the stereotypical 'bunny girl' like from so many of BeastBoy's anime comics.

Her books compiled spells from countless eras of several planets, even her own, and she had never once given any kind of thought that a spell like THIS would've existed in one of her books.

"_This confirms it,"_ she thought in awkward anger, _"Even magic is susceptible to perversion."_

Raven had little time to ponder the matter, as BeastBoy looked up from the book. A brief panic enveloped her. Her once normal attire had been compromised once more, and BeastBoy was sure to notice her. She was too far to break for the closet like before. She'd never make it in time. Raven looked around her, quickly seizing the sheets from her bed, hoisting them off her mattress in a single heave. Draping the sheets around her in similar fashion to her cloak, she was able to conceal herself just as BeastBoy began to turn his head towards her.

"Huh?" BeastBoy said, curious to the rustling noise he'd heard behind him, looking over his shoulder.

Raven stood before him, cheeks semi red, a clear look of distain on her face, huddling her bed sheet around her.

"Raven?" BeastBoy asked, getting to his feet, uncertain of what was going on. "Uh… what's…"

Raven pushed one hand through the sheet, doing her best to keep the cover tightly around her, snatching the book from BeastBoy's hand. "It's nothing," she spoke to the point in firm tone, as if warning him he'd do well not to pry.

BeastBoy merely stared at her, his eyes momentarily looking upwards. He didn't say a thing. He merely pointed up.

Raven's anger fizzled for a moment, unsure of what he was trying to imply. Her eyes looked up, only to find a pair of black bunny ears flopping down. Raven's eyes hardened on BeastBoy once more.

BeastBoy took a step back, as Raven's intimidating glares often made him do. "Um…" he tried to think of what to say, forcing a nervous smile, "Carrot?" He pulled a carrot from behind his back, almost out of nowhere.

Raven swiped the carrot from his hand, stuffing it in his mouth like a gag. She then tore the bunny ears clip from the top of her head, planting it with such force onto BeastBoy's face over his eyes, knocking him over.

Raven then cracked open the spell book, rifling through the pages. She needed a spell. Any spell.

"_I have no idea what this does,"_ she thought with a rare spark of recklessness, _"But at the very least, it'll make me feel better."_

"Gender-Us Change-Iss Metus-Switch-Um" Raven chanted, clutching the book tightly with one arm, keeping the sheet securely fastened over herself with the other.

Raven, having more experience with magic, recited the spell flawlessly and with pinpoint precision on her intended target. It took less than a few seconds as the magic worked its effects on BeastBoy just as it had with her. However, even though the spell was recited word for word, it did not yield the desired feeling of satisfaction as Raven had been hoping. Her shoulders drooped, as her expression of anger quickly broke, giving way to awkward embarrassment.

"_I was wrong."_

BeastBoy slowly sat up, pulling the bunny ears clip from his face. "Pa-toohey!" shaking his head to spit out the carrot lodged in his mouth, "What was that for? Veggie prejudice? Ya know you could've just…"

BeastBoy stopped, placing his hands on his throat. He sounded… different. His voice had a lower pitch to it. Softer.

He looked up at Raven, who only looked back, eye brow raised as if still not knowing what to make of it herself.

BeastBoy looked down, finding his uniform just the way it always was. It was just filled out a little differently than he was used to. Or at least filled out more in some places, and a little 'less' in others.

He pulled his arms back, looking down at his new… 'chest abundance'. His eyes tracing down his new, considerably sleeker build. His abdomen was just a little bit smaller, which only drew more attention to his hips, which seemed more rounded. He stretched out his legs, which also looked more toned, accentuating his thigh muscles. He then turned to examine his arms, which also seemed more slim and toned. His hands also looked smaller, rotating them at the wrist, looking each slender finger all the way around.

BeastBoy was slightly alarmed. This couldn't be what it looked like. He looked around the room, spotting a full-length dress mirror against the far wall. With a burst of newfound agility, he leaned back, jumping to his feet, sprinting to the mirror.

He skidded to a halt in front of it, looking himself over, this time focusing on his face. His eyes were narrower, more defined with thicker lashes. His eyebrows were less thick, his nose was a size smaller, and there was more overall definition to the rest of his facial features. Turning to the side, his hands reached behind his head, running his fingers through a patch of long hair that ran down just past his shoulders. Even the tips of his elf like ears were rounded off slightly, a few stray bangs near the base of his ears gently curving towards his face.

What had he become? HE? What had SHE become?

"I… I'm a…" he placed his hands on his cheeks, "What did… how did…"

It was obvious BeastBoy was in disbelief, as Raven simply blinked in response.

"DUDE!" he yelled in a combination of panic and shock, instantly face to face with Raven, shaking her shoulders, "You made me a DUDETTE!"

Raven hadn't seen BeastBoy this visibly shaken since Cyborg snuck beef broth into his vegetable soup.

"Please tell me this isn't permanent! Please tell me this is just a joke!" he raved. "You gotta' be able to change me outta' this. Think of what this could mean for my social life! Worse, think what this could mean for my LOVE LIFE!"

BeastBoy let go of Raven, slumping to the floor on his bottom with a thud. The shock was starting to pass, and from the sleepy look in BeastBoy's eyes, depression was starting to sink in.

Raven was starting to feel just a tad guilty. She'd only meant to warp his uniform, not his outlook on life and his sexuality. Raven picked up the book, which she'd dropped when BeastBoy started shaking her, quickly glancing through it to find her place, still taking care to keep the sheet around her. If Raven had done this through magic, she was certain she could undo it. All she needed was the proper spell.

"Calm down, BeastBoy," Raven said, glancing through the book trying to find the spell, "Perhaps it was a bit much and I was shooting from the hip, but I didn't know it would do this to you. I'm sure I can reverse the effects."

BeastBoy merely slumped forward, lying in a heap on the floor on his chin. "I'm gonna' have to get a whole new wardrobe."

"BeastBoy, I said it'll be alright," she said glancing up from the book, getting the suspicion he wasn't listening. A trait of his that obviously wasn't limited to gender.

"I'm gonna' have to keep reminding myself to use the other bathroom."

"BeastBoy…"

"I'm gonna have to learn how to use make-up. I never even did okay with finger paints!"

Raven looked questionably at him. BeastBoy was starting to sound like Starfire in panic mode. She had to fix this fast. BeastBoy was enough of a handful in her room. She didn't need him in her gender as well.

"I'm gonna have to…"

"BEASTBOY!" Raven shouted, bringing him out of crisis.

Even in silence, the look of doubt and fear was still present on his face, sending the message loud and clear that he was at a loss.

"I can fix this, but you have to calm down," she turned back, flipping pages of the spell book. "There is no need to panic."

"No need to panic?" he repeated skeptically, "I've gone from girl magnet to just girl in like two seconds!"

Raven rolled her eyes at him getting carried away, as usual.

BeastBoy got up, nervously pacing back and forth a short distance away from Raven. "Oh, and don't even get me started on what'll happen if Cyborg finds out. Do you have any idea what robo butt is capable of with dirt like this?"

"More than you know," Raven said under her breath, calling to find Cyborg's escapades in recent days.

"Ugh! My life is over," he groaned.

"Don't you think you're overreacting?" she said in her typical uncaring tone.

"Oh yeah? How bout I borrow that book and 'abra cadabra' you with facial hair and your weight in testosterone and see if its overreacting?" he rebutted.

Raven blinked. "Point taken."

"I mean, come on," he flailed his arms in the air, pointing to the mirror, "Just look at me," he said, head hung low, looking at his own reflection with a dull dreary stare.

BeastBoy didn't seem to think much of himself in feminine form. Just so out of place compared to how he was used to seeing himself.

"My face, my hair," he listed looking himself over, turning to the side, profiling his new form. "My…"

BeastBoy paused, seeing himself in a whole new perspective, taking the time to actually distinguish his new features. Now that he looked more closely, he really didn't look all that bad as a girl. And as a former occupant of the opposite sex, he considered his opinion as valid as any other guy when it came to spotting cute girls.

"Then again…" he paused, placing a hand on his hip, "I don't look all that bad."

Raven shifted her pupils from the book.

"In fact… I look sorta' good," he looked to Raven, who was giving him a doubtful look. "Good, in… ya know… but in a bad way," he added, trying not to get too attached to the look.

Raven just shook her head.

"I mean, you gotta' admit though. Beauty, brains…" he ran a hand through his hair, "I do got the whole package."

"I'd mark you 'return to sender'," Raven said, keeping his newfound vanity in check, continuing the search for the counter spell. The sooner she found it, the sooner she could get BeastBoy back to normal. And as she took one last glance at him smiling at his own reflection, it couldn't be soon enough.

After changing her clothes back once more, easily able to sneak away to change with BeastBoy so distracted by himself, Raven eventually came across the counter spell, hastily reversing the effects of the spell and changing BeastBoy back to normal. Or at least as normal as BeastBoy qualified as.

"Well," BeastBoy sighed with a coy smirk, looking over his restored male physique, "It was fun while it lasted. But, I guess it had to be done. A green cutie like that on the market? The calls would never stop."

Raven shut the book, walking towards the shelf. "Oh, get over yourself already. You didn't look that good."

"Hey, I woulda' dated me," he answered defiantly. "I mean, her. I mean, that. I mean… I don't know what I mean. But come on, you had to admit I was cute for a girl."

Raven replaced the book on the shelf. "I admit I'll be greatly relieved if I never have to picture you in a dress for as long as I live."

BeastBoy shrugged, the thought becoming undesirable. "Just as well. Getting in touch with your feminine side is one thing, but not like that," he replied.

Raven neatened the row of books, turning, walking past BeastBoy. "Needless to say, no more magic for you," she dusted off her hands, hoping not to debate the matter. She did not want to go into what effects that last book had on her as a rebuttal.

"Hey, no argument there," he held up his hands, "I've had me enough presto change-o to last me for a long time. I'll leave the presta-ma-digitation to the professionals from now on. Heck, I might swear off books too while I'm at it."

"Good," Raven said simply. "Now maybe I can get back to aaagh," Raven cut herself off with a yawn, covering her mouth.

All this spell recital and undue stress had exhausted Raven much more than she would've guessed. She was starting to feel very tired. No doubt more latent effects of the flu catching up with her, running down her energy.

"Tired?" BeastBoy asked, as she finished yawning.

"No, BeastBoy. I'm keeping my mouth open so as to be better prepared for yelling at you," she said sarcastically.

BeastBoy didn't even dignify Raven's dry wit with a corny adolescent response. He merely stretched his arms over his head. He too was starting to feel a bit drowsy. "Now that I think about it, I'm kinda' sleepy too."

Raven began rubbing her eyes, walking with BeastBoy close behind. "Given the circumstances, sleep wouldn't be such a bad idea. Preferably, the less time I spend dwelling on this whole scenario, the better I'll…"

Raven stopped, looking on, remembering a previously forgotten concern.

"Raven? What's wrong?" BeastBoy asked stopping beside her, "You look like you…" BeastBoy traced her line of sight. "Oh."

Raven and BeastBoy both stared straight ahead at the solitary bed in the room. The two of them had been heading for bed without realizing there was just the one between the two of them.

They stared for a good three seconds, before turning by chance at the same time at each other, quickly looking away. BeastBoy scratching his head, Raven clearing her throat, the heat rising to their faces, an even blush between the both of them.

"Uh…" was all BeastBoy could manage.

Raven remained silent. If not for her meditation earlier she was certain this would've merited something to blow up. Ironically, she wished something would have. Anything to take away from this awkward moment.

Raven did her best to keep her powers in check while moving without a sound, trying to pretend everything was perfectly normal. She walked around the bed, retrieving a pillow and blanket from atop the mattress. Setting the pillow on the floor, she began to kneel down.

"Um… Raven?" BeastBoy asked, a bit confused, "What're you doing?"

"What does it look like?" she answered, lying down, getting into a comfortable position, spreading her blanket over her.

"B-but, it's… your bed. I mean…"

"I had the bed to myself throughout my meditation, while you occupied your time on the floor. It's only fair," Raven told him, a small tone of aggravation from the still passing embarrassment.

"Well, yeah. But… I mean, we could just share…"

Raven sat up, staring him down as best she could while keeping her face at room temperature.

"Right," he said, taking the hint with a blush of his own.

Raven laid back down on her side as BeastBoy began walking towards her bed. Pulling the blanket snugly over her shoulder, closing her eyes, she gave an exhausted sigh.

Her relaxed state of mind was interrupted by a sudden unaccountable thud. Raven's eyes quickly snapped back open, a curious look on her face. "BeastBoy?" Raven called, sitting up, poking her head up from the side of the bed.

Much to her surprise, she found the bed to be empty.

"Yeah?" BeastBoy answered, sticking his head up from the opposite side of the bed.

Raven looked at him, raising an eyebrow in confusion. "BeastBoy, I said you could have the bed. What are you doing on the floor?"

"Sackin' out," he answered.

Raven still looked at him funny. "But I said you could have the bed. I don't mind," she said in a reassuring, if not insistent tone.

"What? Are you kidding me? What kinda' guy sleeps in a bed when a girl sleeps on the floor?" he shrugged. "Besides, sleeping on a hard surface is supposed to be good for your posture," he arched his back, stretching out.

BeastBoy laid back down, his head disappearing beneath the bed, leaving Raven with a vacant look on her face. Curiously, Raven climbed up onto bed peeking over the side. She found BeastBoy morphed into the form of a dog, circling a pillow before lying down to rest.

A small smile graced Raven's face. While BeastBoy was for certain a bit of a dummy at times, he was always a dummy with a good heart. Raven simply rolled over onto her side, pulling the sheet over her, reluctantly accepting BeastBoy's chivalrous offer.

"Good night, BeastBoy," she said quietly.

The low sound of a dog yawning was all Raven could make out as she closed her eyes, beginning to sleep, her smile remaining until in a deep enough sleep.

Several hours later, Cyborg pulled himself out from underneath the console, having just finished a complete overhaul on the entire monitoring system. Rebuilding, rewiring, and reconnecting every part and piece to ensure the monitoring equipment was in optimum working order. If he was going to be keeping tabs on his two friends for the duration, he had to be certain everything was in tiptop shape. The equipment itself had been worse for wear after his last close call with Raven.

"There," he smiled proudly, wiping a bead of sweat from his brow, "She's all set. Should run smooth and silent now," he stressed the silent part, knowing full what might happen if he were to be caught eavesdropping by Raven.

Cyborg had been at the repairs since his misinterpretation of BeastBoy and Raven playing chess with one another. He knew the two of them were going to need to be kept an eye on, whether they would permit it or not. And he knew they certainly would not. Being stuck in Raven's room was bound to have some kind of effect on the both of them.

Raven had never had anyone in her room for more than a few moments, let alone a whole day. And with BeastBoy of all people? That was practically throwing the little guy to the wolves in his eyes. And for BeastBoy himself, being stuck in a room like Raven's with no outlet of electronic stimulation from the Gamestation or other necessities was probably an even quicker way to make him go out of his mind.

But the fact that they were sick was not lost on Cyborg, despite the several devilish smiles that had dawned on him throughout this chain of events. He was genuinely concerned for the safety and well being of two of his closest friends. Vital monitors and other readouts were active on a few of the mini screens of the console, which would immediately alert Cyborg to any drastic change in their condition. Other subsystems included the door lock to insure that they stayed quarantined, plus the climate control for the room and a few other bare essentials. Everything else was to monitor the audio and video feeds from the room. Cyborg wasn't intending to watch their every move like a hawk, but he certainly wasn't going to pass up any additional dirt on either of them he could add to the array of teasing remarks in his arsenal or set aside for a rainy day.

"I probably should only check in on em' once in while. I'm not their parents, and it's not like I'm tryin' to catch'em at anything," he reassured himself and his conscience, "But just in case I should 'HAPPEN' to peek in on them in the midst of something that could embarrass'em or traumatize'em for life, I'll be ready," he beamed, patting the digital image capture devices on the console.

"Speaking of which," he said, pulling back a compartment on his wrist, revealing a digital readout of the time, "It has been a while since I last checked up on them. And I do need to put this baby through its paces."

He grinned, pushing a few buttons, bringing up the main view screen. The consoles hardware functioned more readily and efficiently in comparison to how it'd worked before.

"Wonder how many imprints of BB's face are implanted in Raven's wall," he mused to himself.

The picture came into view on the screen. But what Cyborg found was just about the last thing he'd expected to find. Raven was sound asleep in bed and BeastBoy lying in a pillow, still asleep as well in dog form on the floor. Almost as peaceful as when he'd first put the two of them to bed. So calm. So serene. So… disappointing.

"Aww, ain't that cute," he made a gushy face all the same, "Almost like somethin' out of a movie."

Cyborg's finger began to move towards the capture image button. "Not exactly what I was hopin' for. Not really extortion material, but… it should make an amusing screensaver."

Cyborg's finger hung over the button, the bottom of his index finger poised to press. But at the last second, he pulled away, lifting his arm to rest his head.

"Nah," he shrugged with a smile, lazily watching the screen.

No need to tarnish the moment.

"Although," he started to yawn, covering his mouth with his other hand, "I will say they got the right idea."

Cyborg hadn't gotten all that much sleep either. He'd been gone for some time, and since his return, all he'd really done was kept an eye on BeastBoy and Raven and made a few essential repairs. His tank was starting to run on empty too.

"Guess… I'll just…"

Cyborg never finished. One eye closing, the other fading from its red glow, Cyborg fell asleep right there at the console, slumped over atop a work stool, leaning his head against his arm that rested on the console.

Moments later, his arm gave way, slumping over to allow his head to rest more comfortably on his arm. Subconsciously bringing his other arm over to increase support to his head, his forearm inadvertently toggled a switch near the main panel for one of the main temperature functions of Raven's room. Clearly labeled below the switch were the letters: AC. Instantly, somewhere in the tower, the hum of electrical components could be heard switching on.

Silently, the vents near the top of the ceiling in Raven's room opened, allowing a slow and steady stream of cold air to fill the room. Because of the small size of Raven's room, and no other air circulation, it took little time for the air conditioner to drop the temperature of the room.

A short while later, BeastBoy's eye shut tightly, turning in his sleep. Even in animal form, a layer of fur covering his body, he was unable to ignore the cold sensation was beginning to sting his face. His eyes slowly opening, he felt a sharp shiver run down his body. He quickly morphed back to his human form, feeling the full effect of the cold upon doing so.

"Brrr!" he quivered, huddling his arms around himself, rubbing his arms frantically, "What happened? I sleep through the next ice age?"

BeastBoy scanned the room, walking over to the window, astonished to find it completely covered by frost, unable to even see through it. BeastBoy rubbed his hand in a circular motion, trying to make an opening to see outside, but it was too thick, and the cold air so constant it would instantly fog back up again. He quickly pulled his hand away, rubbing and breathing into it, his paper-thin gloves doing little to keep the cold from biting his fingers.

"Dude, what gives?" he stuck his hands under his armpits, "We forget to pay the heating bill?"

BeastBoy looked around the room, moving towards the far wall, stopping at the feeling of a strong chill spill onto his shoulders from above. Looking up, he saw the air vents, quickly identifying the problem by the sound of air escaping, echoing from the off the ducts.

BeastBoy quickly felt around, searching for his communicator, but finding that it was not on him. Quickly, he ran towards the spot below the ceiling where Cyborg's monitor had previously descended. Unfortunately, it would only come down when in use, and as far as BeastBoy knew, there was no control for it in the room. He was going to have to open the ceiling panel, force it down, and try to figure out some way to turn it on.

BeastBoy morphed into a fly, buzzing his insect wings upwards to the ceiling. Landing at the top, he wasted little time using his small size to wedge between the small gap between the ceiling panel and the insulation, pulling himself through to the top side.

A moment later, a low ruckus could be heard of something scratching and stamping down on the panel. The panel gave way, falling to the floor, a green raccoon with it.

Shaking off the spill he'd taken, BeastBoy morphed again, this time taking on the form of a giraffe. Using his long neck, he stretched his head up into the opening in the ceiling. Biting down on the bottom of the monitor, he began to pull, slowly forcing it down. It took a few good heaves, but the hydraulics finally started to give as he manually lowered the monitor to ground level.

"Come on, come on!" he returned to human form, chattering as he searched the monitor for anything that resembled an on button.

No switch, no button, no nothing. The monitor was indeed a one-way device.

"Cy? Hey! Chrome dome, you there?" he called, smacking the side of the monitor. "Come on, Cy. This isn't funny. Make with some warmer temperature will ya?"

Back in Cyborg's room, still asleep atop the control panel, a small red light flashed on and off, indicating the monitor was down. But Cyborg merely turned his head the other way, continuing to sleep.

BeastBoy gave one swift kick to the bottom of the monitor, stubbing his toe. "Ow!" he yelped, "Cy, I'm warnin' you. Don't make me get Raven on…"

BeastBoy paused.

"Raven," he realized. In all the commotion, he'd forgotten all about her.

BeastBoy ran to Raven's bed, finding her with the sheets draped over her, facing away from him. He reluctantly reached out to her. _"I hope you're not a cranky morning person,"_ he wishfully thought.

"Rae," he called, shaking her lightly, "Raven? I hate to bother ya, but for some reason Cyborg is trying to rent out your room as an igloo."

No response.

"Raven? Hey, come on," he shook her a little more, "We gotta' get Cyborg to knock off the deep freeze or we might catch our death of…"

Beastboy's last nudge rolled Raven over.

"Raven!" he yelled in shock.

BeastBoy had always known Raven to be somewhat pale, but never to this degree. Her face was a hazy shade of pale gray, small traces of blue beginning to show around her cheeks. She looked positively frail, as if the slightest touch would shatter her like a pane of glass. The cold had obviously taken a toll in her weakened state.

BeastBoy gently pressed the back of his hand against her forehead. Her skin was as cold as the room itself, as if she'd been shut inside a meat locker. As he'd feared, she had a fever, now even worse than the one she'd had from the flu. Being exposed to the cold could make a person sick, but with her already under the weather, it'd made things worse.

"Raven? Can you hear me?" he leaned over, his hand on her shoulder. "Raven?"

Raven just lay there, stiff and unmoving, the look of cold and numbness on her face. She looked so helpless.

"I gotta' get you outta' here," he said, able to see his own breath.

BeastBoy ran over to the door, trying to open it. He pulled and pushed and pried, but the door wouldn't budge. The small red light above the door verified that the quarantine was still in effect, keeping them locked in. And he couldn't very well call Cyborg to unlock it.

"No other way I guess," he backed away from the door.

With a running start, BeastBoy morphed into a ram, battering the door with a mighty head butt. BeastBoy was thrown backwards, the impact doing more damage to his head than the door. Shaking his head, the ram charged once more this time taking on the form of a rhino. With more weight behind him, BeastBoy drove his horned head into the door again. The impact didn't send him reeling, but as he backed away, all he could perceive the strike to have done was scratched it. The green rhinoceros shook its head, rearing back once more. It charged again, changing to an elephant. The large animal threw its entire weight in front of the obstacle, pounding it with its side. But despite his best efforts, all BeastBoy had to show for his efforts was a mild sized ding in the door.

BeastBoy morphed back to normal, hunched over, momentarily out of breath. "Dude, this is nuts. How come our doors are only this tough when WE'RE the ones who try to bust'em?"

While his animal DNA had helped to partially recover from the flu, he was far from being at top condition. On top of that, the countless attacks on their headquarters had instituted stronger overall improvements to the tower, both inside and out.

BeastBoy knocked hard against the door, making note of the heavy alloy. "Sure," he groaned, "Cyborg can't find the time to put an arcade in the tower, but he can reinforce all the doors?"

BeastBoy looked around the room, seeking an alternate escape. Obviously he wasn't leaving the way he'd come in.

"The window!" he exclaimed.

Wasting no time, he morphed into a bull, stamping his hoof against the floor, his nostrils flaring, preparing to charge. He'd crash through the window, airlift Raven to the roof, and bring back down into the tower through the stairwell at the top.

The green bull charged at ramming speed leaping for the window, his horns to the sides of his head like guided missiles. BeastBoy hit the window dead center, but was instantly hurled back with a thud against the floor, skidding on his back.

"Don't tell me he reinforced the windows too," he groaned, his eyeballs still spinning.

BeastBoy got up again, still unwilling to give up. He couldn't go out the door or the window. The ventilation in the ceiling above was too narrow for Raven to fit through. And the room was still getting colder by the minute, as if any minute he'd have icicles hanging from his chin. He was stuck.

"Come on, BeastBoy. Think!" he rubbed the side of his head, "I gotta' get Raven out of here. Or at least get her warm."

A single thought crossed BeastBoy's mind, making him wide eyed, slowly turning to stare at Raven's slumbering form.

"Oh, NO!" he waved his hands, quickly looking away with a blush, shaking his head, "No way! There's gotta' be a way to keep Raven warm that doesn't involve me getting put into orbit later."

BeastBoy looked around the room once more.

"The closet?" he thought out loud. "It'd keep her outta' the cold, at least a little. I mean, its gotta' be warmer and there's no vents in there. Eh, but I don't think I could fit Raven on a hanger. Under the bed maybe? No!"

Every other idea that came to mind seemed hopeless. At this rate he was only faced with one option.

BeastBoy's blush returned; unable to hide the awkwardness of this dire situation, as well as a few ideas as to what the consequences might be if Raven woke up with him huddled over her, trying to keep her warm. "There's gotta' be a better way. Well… maybe not better, but…" his teen mind momentarily stumbled, "NO! That is ABSOLUTE last resort. I can just see it now. Raven goin' ballistic, throwin' me into walls, bashin' me over the head with her mirror, dropping me right in the…"

And then it hit him, looking over to the bedside.

"THE MIRROR!" he exclaimed, looking to the nightstand. He'd forgotten it was there.

Walking over, he carefully picked it up, looking it over. BeastBoy'd only seen it's use once before. But for this item, once was more than enough. Doubt and second thoughts plagued him about using Raven's mirror, but this wasn't some practical joke or poking his nose where it didn't belong. BeastBoy looked down at Raven, a pale and frostbitten memory of her former self. In an instant, all doubt left his mind, a determined look on his face. This was an emergency.

He looked into the mirror, finding only his reflection. "Now all I gotta' do is figure out how to turn this thing on." He looked deeper into the mirror, knocking on the glass. "Uh… hello? Any body home?"

Nothing.

"Um… open sesame? Sim sim sallah bim?" he said, trying to find some kind of magic word to open the vortex that'd pulled him in last time. "Uh… Yabba Dabba Doo?"

Still nothing.

"Come on, how does thing work?" he asked himself, holding the mirror away from himself, "All I did last time was just stare into it like an idiot and it just…"

**WHOOSH!**

BeastBoy flung the mirror to the floor as a large vortex swirled from the glass, opening a portal into Raven's mind.

He took a step back before turning to fetch Raven. _"Sure. I use the word idiot about me and everything happens."_

Carefully, BeastBoy scooped Raven off of the bed and into his arms, holding her close. He took a step closer, towards the vortex in the center of the room. He let one final chill escape from his lips, looking down at Raven.

"For once, Raven," he said to her, looking up into the vortex, "I hope you ARE hot headed."

And with that, he dove into the vortex, which quickly dissipated as soon as they were through.

**Next Chapter:** What awaits BeastBoy and Raven inside of Raven's mind? And will BeastBoy be in time to keep Raven from getting any worse?


	13. Head Trip

**Quality Time**

**Chapter 13: Head Trip**

BeastBoy fell deeper and deeper into the swirling vortex, drawing farther towards the mental realm of Raven's mind. It was like being on a roller coaster, where despite how fast you knew you were probably going, everything else around you felt as if it were going in slow motion. For BeastBoy, that was precisely the feeling. Holding Raven close, doing his best to keep her from slipping out from under his grip, he continued to fall.

Moments later, reaching the end of the line, the exit portal opened a short distance above the ground, ejecting BeastBoy into Raven's mind. BeastBoy spilled onto the ground, landing flat on his back almost in cartoon fashion, similar to the coyote hitting the canyon floor, kicking up a thin cloud of dust upon impact..

**WHAP!**

In spite of how convincing a hard landing BeastBoy made, and the velocity it felt he was falling at, the impact didn't hurt anywhere near as bad as he would've thought. Apparently the laws of physics of Raven's mind had some leeway, at least for the falling part. Gravity on the other hand was as unforgiving as ever as he rose to his feet, hunched over to rub his sore backside.

"Agh," he groaned, gingerly rubbing his lower back before straightening up, cracking his vertebrae, "THAT is exactly why I don't fly coach." BeastBoy brought his other hand to his head, shaking off the fall.

One hand straightening his back, the other steadying his bearings, it was then that he realized something of crucial importance was missing.

BeastBoy snapped open both eyes, looking from one empty hand to another. "Raven?" he said, looking around, scanning where he'd landed. "Raven!" he called out a bit louder.

She was nowhere to be seen. He had been holding her during their decent, but just before BeastBoy had fallen through the other side of the portal, she must've slipped out of his arms in bracing for re-entry.

"Raven?" he called again, turning over a rock, "Hey, where'd ya go?" BeastBoy scratched his head.

BeastBoy had been in Raven's mind once before, recalling that he and Cyborg weren't separated when they'd fallen through upon entering together. So there was no reason to think too great a distance had separated her. Then again, one prior visit did not make for a reliable blueprint or understanding of Raven's mind and how it worked. And he was about to discover just how true that was.

As he looked up, hoping to broaden his search, it was then that he began to take closer notice of just where he had landed in more detail. Caught off guard would be an understatement.

The surroundings were different. Drastically different from how he last recalled. Everything had changed considerably from the last venture he'd taken into Raven's magic mirror. As memory served, Raven's mind was a void of jagged rocks, floating endlessly in space, the sky a dense void of nothingness. A harsh wasteland like out of one of his sci-fi movies. But now? The ground was not barren, but rather replaced by rich soil bearing healthy patches of green grass. A few scattered trees and shrubbery dotted a few rolling hills in the distance that lead to much denser foliage, along with the sounds of what he could only guess was a babbling brook as he traced a small stream. It was like a small exotic paradise teaming with life below an abundant blue sky, not a cloud in sight.

BeastBoy did his best to wipe the puzzled look from his face. Had he not jumped into the mirror himself, he would be certain he had to be in the wrong place.

"It's so… green," he observed, skeptically complimenting the dose of color not present from his last visit. "So bright. So… anti-gloom," he counted off as he continued to marvel at the lush environment. "This CAN'T be Raven's mind," he shook his head, "Maybe we made a wrong turn."

But then BeastBoy looked again. Raven had shown change over time, both in her casual mood and routine around the tower, and even her mood towards him in general. Maybe this was the inner change that went along with it.

At second glance, there were a few aspects key to Raven's persona present within the atmosphere that made him overlook his initial claim. Raven wasn't all doom and gloom after all. If she were, there would've certainly been a monument depicting her chasing him with murderous intent in the dead center, at least from his standpoint. But BeastBoy plainly knew that was an exaggeration. An exaggeration to which he was grateful for, being far from the truth regarding Raven's outward perception.

BeastBoy took a moment to fully absorb the atmosphere around him. It was quiet. Relatively calm, something Raven couldn't get enough of. Soothing, peaceful, and tranquil unlike anything he'd ever seen as a gentle breeze cascaded across the grass, swaying the nearby tree branches. The whole visual seemed like something you only saw in travel brochures. It was still very hard to conceive this was the same place he'd once fought life and limb to help Raven contain her un-bottled emotions. Was it possible that the bad part of her mind was on a time-share? Or maybe the place was under new management. Whatever the case, he was beginning to re-assess his remarks about being in the wrong place. He could certainly see it more as a place Raven would come to get away from it all. And by 'it all', he plainly knew it mostly 'all him'.

BeastBoy shook his head, so caught up in the makeover he'd forgotten he was minus the girl whose mind he was in. "Ugh!" he shook his head, clearing his train of thought, "This is no time for sight seeing. I gotta' find Raven."

He looked in one direction and then the other, just beginning to realize the sheer size of the realm before him. "This place is mega jumbo sized," he measured with words as best he could, "And Raven could be anywhere."

Unnoticed, a low whistling sound slowly came into earshot.

"Where do I even start?" he asked in a worried tone, impatiently tapping his foot.

The whistling sound began to grow louder, drawing closer.

"If only I had some kinda' clue," he rubbed his forehead, "A hint, a sign, anything."

BeastBoy looked up to think, but was quickly startled by the sudden whistling he was just now starting to notice. A dark blur streaking through the sky, falling towards him was all he could make out before…

**WHAM!!!**

Raven crashed into BeastBoy at high speed like a guided missile, barreling him over and kicking up a cloud of dirt, ripping up grass as they skidded a few feet along the ground, digging a small, hollow trail along the way.

When the dust settled, Raven lay motionless on her stomach, flat on the ground, still out cold as before. Astonishingly enough, there was not a mark on her to imply a single injury from the fall.

Slowly, Raven's body began to move, jerking from one side to the other. However the movement was not her own. A hand poked out from underneath, grasping her shoulder, rolling her over to reveal BeastBoy splayed out on the ground having been used as an air bag to soften Raven's fall.

BeastBoy tilted his head up, giving a hacking cough, partially from the inability to properly breath from Raven being on top of him, partially from the air driven out of him by her landing right on him. "That's the OTHER reason I never fly coach. They always loose luggage," he griped, just before his head collapsed back against the ground in an exasperated sigh.

…

A few moments passed, as BeastBoy got back to his feet. He had rolled Raven onto her back, doing his best to make her as comfortable as possible. He noticed at the very least that it was much warmer, but the cold had been so intense in Raven's room, it would take time for her to thaw. He carefully unclasped her cloak, draping it over her as a blanket, tucking it underneath her as if to seal in as much warmth as possible. He kneeled beside her, trying to think of any other way to help, but given the circumstances it didn't seem there was anything more he could've done. She looked stable and didn't appear to be getting any worse, but it was still difficult for him force an optimistic smile.

He would've been much more reassured if it were one of the other Titans providing the care. Cyborg pretty much ran the Tower's sickbay, and was an expert with medical technology and common procedures. Robin was skilled in first aid and who knows how many devices in his utility belt that might've done something useful. Even Starfire and her Tameranian remedies were one up on him. BeastBoy was not the most well trained when it came to providing aid of the medical nature. Treating himself was one thing. Several of his animal forms had advantages for recovering from particular injuries or ailments. But for someone else, he was far more limited. All he could do for now was watch and wait. Two things BeastBoy never really cared for, nor was he good at.

He removed his glove, gently placing the back of his hand against Raven's cheek. She was still cold, but her color was very slowly starting to return to her face. He shuddered to think what would've happened if he hadn't woken up when he did, if she had remained in the cold for a minute longer, as he slipped his glove back on.

This was agony. All he could do was wait for her to wake up, IF she woke up. He kept thinking there had to be more he could do.

Beastboy looked at Raven's head lying flat against the ground, looking up at the sky. Despite the patches of grass beneath her, it did little to support her head and neck against the hard ground.

BeastBoy morphed, taking on the form of a mid sized green fox. He laid down behind Raven, using his nose to gently lift up her head. Doing his best to keep her head propped up, he shimmied his body underneath, carefully setting her head back down on his side, thick fur contouring around her from ear to ear. The fox's body made for an ideal pillow, comfortably cushioning her head, his body heat helping to further warm her. He then draped his thick furry tail over her neck, like a scarf.

Contrary to popular opinion, BeastBoy did have some degree of common sense. Not to mention the ability to think when need be. It was a mystery why he didn't use these traits more often. Especially, considering how good he was at it.

He gave one more look at Raven, gently touching her face with his nose before closing his eyes and resting his head next to hers. This was the best he could do for now. All there was now, was to wait.

…

The slumbering fox didn't budge an inch, not even in his sleep. Keeping no track of time, he simply laid there, Raven resting beside him, his furry hide still curled around her head. If not for a quiet sense of worry in the back of his mind, this would've been one of the most tranquil sleeps BeastBoy could remember.

Several hours passed. Aside from an occasional peek to check on Raven, BeastBoy slept soundly, not leaving her side. He could only hope that the bright warmth of this place in her mind didn't change. If it got darker or cooler, alternating from day to night, he might be right back where he started. But his worries were unfounded, as no matter how much time passed, he never once felt the temperature in the air around him falter, even by a single degree. Still, he hoped Raven kept thinking warm thoughts.

And that's when he heard it.

BeastBoy's highly tuned fox ear's perked up, sensing sound. Very low, very quiet, but a sound not of the ambient surroundings.

It started with just the light rustling of grass, which he'd previously paid no mind to. But it was closer now, and feeling no breeze or wind movement of any kind against his body, his animal instincts began to raise his level of alertness.

Slowly, BeastBoy tilted his head to the side, making it look as if he were shifting in his sleep, focusing all his senses to one ear to better his reception.

He was able to make out murmurs, soft whispers, emphasis on the plural tense, meaning they were not alone, and by more than one person.

Cautiously, BeastBoy cracked one eye open, the hazy feeling of sleep still blurring his vision somewhat. Even with slowly clearing eyesight, he spied multiple shadowy figures on all sides, human by general shape, but still not fully awake to make any distinguishing observations. All he knew for a fact was that he and Raven were surrounded.

They all stood only a few feet away, just far enough to give sufficient distance apart from one another, but close enough to close a circular formation around them. He was able to make out two for certain directly in front, but couldn't turn his head to get a precise number at the risk of giving himself away. All of them with their heads looking down at the two of them, looking away only to share silent whispers amongst themselves. It gave BeastBoy an unsettling feeling, only able to make out whispers and subtle sounds of their lips moving between them, but not the words. Occasionally, even the most quiet of snickers could be heard.

This went on for a few moments, before all of them went silent. BeastBoy shut his eye, swallowing hard, almost able to feel their eyes on him.

Suddenly, to his left, he heard another rustling sound, followed by close proximity vibrations in the ground, almost able to see with his mind that one was taking another small step towards them.

Both BeastBoy's eyes shot open, rolling out from under Raven, letting her head fall against the ground. His instincts now in a heightened sense of alert, he morphed into a timber wolf, letting out a brief growl before pouncing on top of the individual who'd begun drawing closer.

His vision still out of focus, still becoming more awake, it made his aggressive tactic all the more risky. He knew Raven was left exposed, but if he could get their attention squared solely on him, he had a better chance of keeping them away.

His head reared down, his teeth bared, and his paws firmly planted on both shoulders, he snarled keeping them pinned to the ground. A thick piece of bright cloth had fallen over their face, masking their identity. A growl stirring beneath his sharp teeth, ready to strike in an instant, BeastBoy leaned in closer.

Just then his nose started to twitch.

BeastBoy's feral instincts lowered, pulling back slightly, detecting a familiar scent.

He turned his head at an angle, as if confused. His wolf nostrils flared, verifying the smell of the figure he stood over was indeed accurate, familiar almost. This couldn't be right. This scent was…

A playful laugh billowed from beneath the fabric draped over the mystery person's face. BeastBoy shook his head, finally regaining normal vision as things began to come into focus.

"Why, BB," came a voice he was all too familiar with, but in a giddy, happy tone he'd never really attributed it with, "What big teeth you have." A slender hand lifted up, stroking the fur beneath his jaw.

"Now, there is a most unique pickup line," came an identical, yet astute voice from behind.

"Y-you should be more serious. He… he looks pretty angry," replied a similar, but extremely nervous voice.

BeastBoy stared straight ahead before vigorously shaking his head. Was he hearing things, or did they all sound more or less like the same person?

"Nah, you're just disappointed the big bad wolf didn't jump all over you," a lazy voice answered with a yawn.

A worrisome gasp of embarrassment gave way. "N-no, no. I… I didn't… I would never…"

BeastBoy tried to turn his head to see just who and how many were there, but the hand of whomever he'd tackled still had a hold on his lower jaw. Not strong enough that he couldn't forcefully pull away, but it wasn't as if he was in a hurry to, as they proceeded to scratch under his chin.

"And what a big nose you have," she giddily continued bringing another hand up to run her fingers along the trail of soft fur along his nose.

"All the better for him to stick it where it doesn't belong," came an angry, bitter rant.

"As if YOU'RE one to judge," responded a tough remark.

It all seemed familiar somehow.

Just then, both hands, previously occupied on BeastBoy came to a stop, gently lowering his head at what he assumed was eye level, still unable to make out anything beneath the pink material hanging low over their face.

"And," she softly spoke, struggling to hold back a fit of giggles, "What… big…"

With a sudden motion, jerking her head back, the hood of her pink cloak flew back, resting behind her neck.

"…EYES YOU HAVE!" she exclaimed, making googly eyes, each pupil going in circles in a different direction.

BeastBoy yelped in surprise, sprinting backwards, taken completely by surprise. He tripped, stumbling over his own feet, falling on his side against the ground.

He looked up to verify that he wasn't hallucinating. It was Raven. Raven, laughing herself silly, her eyes still spinning with both hands sticking off the side of her face, as if trying to mimic a three year old. And behind him? Another Raven. And another, and another, each sporting a different color cloak, symbolic of their emotional output.

Everything suddenly made sense, which was hard to believe when he had a splitting image of Raven, in pink, making funny faces, and laughing like a schoolgirl.

BeastBoy remembered from his last venture, while inside Raven's mind, her emotions were separate entities. Completely independent thought and behavior, representing the various emotions within Raven's mind. While Raven had these emotions within her, it was sometimes easy to forget from the strict limitations she'd set to keep her powers under control.

"Hmm," Happy wondered to herself, looking up, placing a finger on her chin, "Did I miss anything?" she asked with a smile, trying to recall the fairy tale.

"Raven does make frequent examples of his, quote, 'big mouth'," Knowledge, a yellow clad emotion wearing a pair of thick glasses, offered.

"Yeah," Brave agreed whole-heartedly with a confident smirk, "All the better to huff, and puff, and knock your butt down!"

Happy merely laughed.

BeastBoy morphed back to human form, still mildly dazed, mostly due to being surrounded by Ravens, or to be more accurate, parts of Raven's personality. It was enough to give anyone a momentary mental stand still. Everywhere he looked there she was. He'd had dreams like this. Of course whether this was similar to a good dream or a bad dream remained to be seen.

The last time, he'd encountered them one at a time. Now there was a whole litter. He scratched his head, trying to think of what to say. While he was aware of the explanation for so many Ravens, he was unsure of how to react. After all, how do you break the ice between a bunch of the same person?

A hand presented itself from beside BeastBoy. Looking up, he found Knowledge offering him help to his feet.

"Welcome to the other side, as it were," she greeted him with a tranquil look.

BeastBoy merely blinked, nervously grinning, taking her hand. He hoisted himself back up to his feet.

The gray, worrisome Raven leaned beside Happy. "He looks a little… lost, doesn't he?" Timid squeaked above a shy whisper.

"Nah!" she gleefully replied, slapping Timid on the back, straightening her up, "He's just the new guy on the block. He'll be alright."

"He's fled a potentially hazardous situation, only to arrive in an isolated dimension linked to someone's mind, sustaining mild injury, worried sick, and amongst a pack of emotionally based doppelgangers," Knowledge pointed out, pushing up her glasses, seemingly drowning out Happy's optimism, "Exactly, what is he supposed to be alright about?"

Happy and Timid both stared, merely blinking as their minds raced to catch up with Knowledge's word power.

"Well… heh," Happy rubbed the back of her head, "When ya put it like that."

Knowledge turned to BeastBoy. "Please, don't mind her," she kindly said, as if to dispel some manner of confusion.

"Um, hey d-don't worry about it," he nervously shrugged, trying his best to keep his smile from faltering, "Just feelin' a little… I don't know…"

"Lost?" Knowledge offered, filling in the blank in logical fashion.

"Uh…" BeastBoy said, as if stalling to come up with another word that didn't make him sound as helpless.

"It's quite alright," she picked up on his mental distress. "I suspect this sort of reaction would be certain for just about anyone, given the circumstances."

"Well, I guess. But… this isn't exactly new to me," he shyly scratched behind his ear, "I've been here before, so… I just thought I woulda' been a little more used to it, ya know? Prepared?"

"BeastBoy, I don't think there is a person, in this world or any other, 'prepared' for confronting the emotional counterparts of anyone, let alone Raven," Knowledge evaluated. "The fact that you didn't pass out at the sight of more than one Raven, the 'first' time, is an accomplishment in and of itself."

BeastBoy's face brightened a bit. "So… I'm like a natural at this kinda' stuff?"

"Possibly," Knowledge commented.

"Yeah," Rude added, half awake, leaning against his shoulder, "Or maybe you're just weird," she blurted out thoughtlessly.

Knowledge swiftly yanked BeastBoy enough to the side to cause Rude to fall hard against the ground, having removed the green boy as a support. She landed with a thud; angrily rubbing her lazy eyes at the yellow know it all.

"Pay no mind to that," Knowledge was quick to excuse the discourteous comment. "Sometimes she thinks even less than you d…"

Knowledge stopped cold, eyes wide. She'd caught herself, but already too late to patch the sentence.

She quickly lowered her head, a nervous blush across her cheeks, "I'm very sorry," she said respectfully, solemnly bowing her head in apology. "There is no excuse how someone of my mental acumen could let something so thoughtless slip out."

"Hey, it's no big deal. Really," he tried to reassure her, "I mean, I'm no where near as smart and I blurt stupid stuff out without thinkin' all the time."

'_That didn't come out right,'_ he thought.

"N-No! W…What I mean was," BeastBoy tried to amend his words, "Big words confuse me too and it messes me up a lot. NOT that big words confuse you. I mean… they can't, cause you're way smarter, and smart people don't let stupid stuff mess'em up. BUT! You DIDN'T do anything stupid cause you were all… um… uh…"

Knowledge couldn't help but give a small smile at how charmingly befuddled he was. Even when letting words fly, and overly trying to apologize for his occasional latency to think before he spoke, his thoughtfulness was evident.

BeastBoy slowed down his thinking, gathering himself. "What I guess I'm tryin' to say is, I'm sure just me bein' here is screwin' up something. Cause… I'm the only one who ever does stuff like that," he dug his heel into the ground, looking down. "So, maybe I'm kinda' draggin' Raven's mind down a couple a notches. I guess I sort of rub off that way."

She closed her eyes, taking a deep breath as if to reflect on the BeastBoy's downtrodden point of view. "People talking without thinking is a natural occurrence. It happens to all of us," Knowledge explained, adjusting her glasses with her pinky finger. "I merely did not want you to misunderstand. I do not think less of your capability to produce cognitive thought."

"My wha?" BeastBoy tilted his head slightly.

"Your mental faculties," she re-worded.

BeastBoy merely stared, trying to pretend he knew what she was talking about, but with minimal success.

'_Hmm…'_ Knowledge thought, _'Think BeastBoy. Think BeastBoy.'_

Knowledge closed her eyes briefly to think, quickly opening them to look right at him. "You think good."

BeastBoy smiled.

"Ooh, nice recovery," Brave remarked off to the side, causing Happy to hold in a giggle and Timid to pull her cloak as far over her head as possible.

BeastBoy gave a nervous laugh, being the center of attention. "Well, I'm sorry too. Kind of a habit when I do stuff like that. Every time I say something wrong, I usually gotta' make like a dozen apologies. Cause I say the wrong thing, and then I say the wrong thing apologizing for the first wrong thing, and then another wrong thing carries over into the next apology, and I know that if I don't get it right, Raven would totally kick my…"

"…Anyway," Knowledge broke away from the conversation, stopping BeastBoy from getting himself stuck in an endless loop, "I think the point we're both trying to make is that no one is at fault."

"Um," BeastBoy thought it over, "Yeah, guess that's about right. Right?"

She gave a nod.

"Cool," BeastBoy smiled. "That's a relief, huh, Raven?"

A bewildered look crossed BeastBoy's face. Was that accurate? This was Raven, or at least a part of Raven. She looked like Raven, and she sounded like Raven, as all of her emotions did. But was that to imply that they were all Raven by name? This was his second time dealing with this kind of situation, but he'd never thought of how to address them before.

"Uh… it… is Raven… right?" he asked cautiously, hoping that calling Knowledge by Raven's name hadn't somehow offended her.

"Hmm," she pondered, giving thought to the question. "I suppose that would be accurate. We are, by assumed form, Raven. Logically, it would be sensible to call us by that name."

BeastBoy blinked, more confused than before. "You mean, you're not even sure what to call yourself?"

"It's not like we get tons of visitors in here," Happy chuckled.

"Yeah, we just sorta' get by with nicknames," Rude scratched her bottom, still lying on the ground. "Like, 'Hey, cry baby', or, 'Yo, sugar high'," she gestured to Timid and Happy.

"Or like, 'Drop dead, ya inconsiderate orange trash!'" Brave stepped on her head, grinding it into the dirt.

Knowledge let out a sigh. "As repugnant as it sounds, she has a point. We do more or less refer to each other by traits key to our emotional background. Truthfully, we've never really had the need for formal names as we're all essentially the same person."

A brief silence followed. "O…k," BeastBoy began to understand.

"You are still puzzled?" Knowledge asked.

"No, no. I get it. It's just, I never thought you could get along so well if ya didn't know who you were," he said, hoping it made sense.

Knowledge gave a gentle smile.

BeastBoy tilted his head. "What?" he asked, curious as to what brought on the look of gratification.

There was a short pause.

"In the many times Raven has sought refuge here, and the many encounters and interactions she has made in this place…" Knowledge profoundly stated, "You are the first person to refer to us as 'who', not 'what'."

BeastBoy raised an eyebrow. He looked over at the other emotions and couldn't help but notice them all showing their gratitude in their own way. Happy sheepishly grinned, Brave folded her arms in a confident smirk, Timid peeked out from under her hood briefly before ducking back underneath it. Even Rude gave a mild thumbs up, dirt and grass smeared all over her face.

BeastBoy gave a shy smile back. "So…" he turned back to Knowledge, "Just how many of you are there anyway?"

Knowledge furrowed her brow. "Hard to say. There are an almost limitless number of emotions a person can feel, all of which can be subdivided into more and more categorized emotions. Even Raven, with her strict deterrence of feeling is not bound by any discernable number. We are merely the most concentrated and therefore the most frequently exercised of her emotions," she explained. "Though, there are a few others that pass by from time to time."

"Well," BeastBoy began, "Before I start calling anyone anything, lemme' have a look for myself."

He gave Knowledge the once over from head to toe, focusing back on her face, able to see his reflection in her glasses. "You're Raven's smart half. That much I know for sure."

"Oh yeah?" came Rude, rolling over onto her back on the ground, kicking one leg over the other in a reclined position, "If she's so smart, how come I gotta' point out all the obvious stuff?" She let out loud belch.

A shrub encased in black energy dumped itself upon Rude's head, scattering leaves all over her. She blew a few stray leaves that'd landed on her face into the air, effortlessly brushing only a few off of her, uncaring to even bother removing the rest. She shot a dull look at Knowledge, pushing up her glasses, as if saying, 'serves you right'.

"Umm…" BeastBoy thought, holding his head in his hand, tapping his foot, trying to place the emotion. "Stuck up and arrogant?" he whispered to Knowledge, trying not to offend the orange emotion.

"Not quite," Knowledge replied. "This is Raven's uncultured side. The part absent of manners, sophistication, and dignity. No regard for how her actions reflect on her and those around her."

"Oh. Kinda' like me?' BeastBoy pointed to himself with a smile.

"Far from it. You at least have consideration for others. Which is more than I can say for this boorish ingrate," she turned her back on the impolite doppelganger.

Upon hearing this, Rude took a moment to stick out her tongue at the yellow emotion before rolling over on her side, picking her nose with her pinky finger.

"But, I'm a slob too. I mean, have you seen my room?" he said with a sense of pride, turning with her.

"You do it on impulse. She does it on purpose," Knowledge politely responded, looking over her shoulder at Rude.

"Eek!" Knowledge's eyes nearly burst form their sockets, shooting right through the lenses of her glasses. She quickly shielded BeastBoy's eyes before he could turn around. "COULD YOU BE ANY MORE OFFENSIVE!?" Knowledge seethed in a firm whisper, breaking her normally calm demeanor.

"Oh, what now?" Rude barked in annoyance, sitting up, picking at her ear. "Can't a girl soak up some sun?"

"Topless?" Knowledge asked, running low on patience. "Now, of all times?" she gestured towards BeastBoy, still unaware of what was going on.

Sure enough, Rude had peeled off the top of her leotard down to the waist, her cloak laid out as a towel, as if about to sunbathe.

Knowledge shot an irritated glare, doing her best to maintain her composure. "Are you that dense?"

"Workin' on it, book worm," she replied, stubbornly pulling her leotard back on.

Rude casually got to her feet as if nothing had just happened. She lazily bent over to pick up her cloak. When suddenly, Brave, who'd gotten a running start, landed a thunderous kick to her backside, hurdling her high into the air, launching her a good distance over a nearby hill. The power of an unrestrained emotion was truly awesome.

Absent of Knowledge's patience, but with an abundance of pure adrenaline, she'd stood about all she as going to take as she gratifyingly dusted off her hands. "I don't think she'll be botherin' us for a while," she confidently remarked with a smirk, walking past BeastBoy and Knowledge.

"Azar be praised," Knowledge sighed in relief.

"Uh… is it okay for me to see again?" BeastBoy awkwardly asked, Knowledge's hands still firmly over his eyes, nary a clue as to what was going on.

Quickly, Knowledge removed her hands, allowing him to see once more.

"What was that all about?" BeastBoy looked around, searching for the explanation of Knowledge's actions, "And where did Raven's messy half go?"

Knowledge straightened her cloak, calmly but frantically trying to think of a way to tip toe around the issue. "That uncouth degenerate was merely… well… tarnishing the tranquility of this otherwise serene environment and I didn't think it'd be prudent for you to… that is…"

Even a being of near infinite knowledge, there were limits to her creative mind. She specialized in logic, not imagination.

She cleared her throat, shaking her head. "Let's merely say that she was engaging in something far less becoming of our nature," she explained, attempting to move on.

"So you asked her to leave?" BeastBoy asked.

"In a manner of speaking," Knowledge looked off to the side.

"That's for sure," Happy laughed. "She left in a big way."

"Air mail," Brave smirked.

Timid merely stared at the ground in embarrassment.

"Hmm," BeastBoy scratched his head in uncertainty. "Guess ya just didn't want me picking up any bad habits, huh?" He smiled in gratitude.

Knowledge gave a nod, relieved, the tension lightening.

"I don't know about that," Brave whispered to her fellow emotions with a grin, "I can think of worse things than BB peelin' down."

Happy giggled while Timid couldn't pull her hood tight enough to suppress the almost glowing shade of red on her face.

BeastBoy gave a quick glance at the others, alerted by Happy's giggles. He walked towards them, away from Knowledge just in time to keep from seeing her glasses beginning to fog up. She did well to quickly remove them, wiping them with her cloak around her fingers, shooting a hateful glare at Brave's barely audible comment she'd telepathically intercepted.

He stopped in front of Happy. "And… you're Raven's perky side," he stated, pointing in a degree of certainty.

Happy shrugged with a grin. "What gave me away?" she giggled.

BeastBoy smiled at the lighter side he rarely ever saw in Raven. It was refreshing on so many levels. Until he'd been in Raven's mind, he'd never thought she could smile like that.

"Aww, come'ere you!" Happy threw open her arms, embracing him in a hug, clutching him in a grip comparable to Starfire's, right down to the near suffocation.

Knowledge saw the color beginning to fade from BeastBoy's face and quickly acted, trying to pry her arms off of him. "Some restraint, if you please," she tugged and pulled at the giddy pink emotion.

Happy snuggled tighter, oblivious to Knowledge's concerns or BeastBoy's slowly teetering supply of oxygen.

Her grip was too tight. She'd need a crowbar to pry her off him, at least if she wasn't gifted with such an astronomical IQ. This was where intellect came in handy. "Gootchy Gootchy Goo," Knowledge said, tickling under Happy's arms.

Tears welling up in her eyes, her grip broke instantly, releasing BeastBoy to the ground in a fit of hysterical laughter.

"That was a close one," Knowledge said in relief.

"That was a weird one," Brave added.

Happy kneeled on the ground, holding her stomach. "No fair," Happy pouted, getting the last of the tickle induced laughter out of her system.

"He IS still in the lingering stages of the flu," Knowledge pointed out.

"Yeah, I can see the engraving on the tombstone now," Brave mused. "Here lies BeastBoy. He was happy with life, till life ended with Happy."

"Just keep the outpouring of affection below life threatening levels, if you'd be so kind," Knowledge lightly scolded.

"I know," Happy gave a dull smile, as apologetic as the ditzy emotion could muster through her bubbly personality.

BeastBoy huffed and puffed for a few moments, catching his breath. If not for a small immunity, toughening up from past hugs with Starfire, the embrace would've surely killed him.

A hand reached down into his field of vision. "A…A-are you okay?" came a trembling voice.

BeastBoy looked up to find the frailest of Raven's emotions shyly outstretching a hand from underneath her gray cloak to him. "Uh… yeah. Fine," he answered, trying to reassure her.

He gently took her hand, beginning to pull himself up. Unfortunately, Timid's upper body strength was as weak as her expression. She strained and struggled to help him up as much as she could, quickly having to grab hold with her other hand around his wrist just to keep steady. She tried to sustain the effort as long as she could, getting BeastBoy up to one knee, but it was too much for her delicate muscles to handle. When suddenly, to her dismay, her knees wobbled, finally giving way, falling over towards BeastBoy.

"Uaaahh!" she yelped, closing her eyes, bracing for impact.

She trembled for a few seconds, awaiting collision. To her surprise, it never came. After a moment she slowly peaked one eye open to find herself stopped, frozen in falling position, as the feeling of something soft against her midsection became noticeable.

She leaned her head forward, looking down to find a green seal, tilted back, wobbling its head slightly as it balanced her stomach against its nose, supporting her. Slowly, BeastBoy leaned her back into standing position, her feet planted firmly on the ground once more, upright. He remained at the ready a few seconds to be sure she'd regained her balance.

Timid was stiff and unmoving. She shyly pulled her hands back inside of her cloak, embarrassment evident. She'd been trying to help him to his feet and she'd nearly fallen on him.

"Arrk! Arrk!" the seal barked, clapping its flippers together.

"I think someone is asking if you're alright," Knowledge interpreted.

Timid looked at Knowledge, then back at BeastBoy. "I-I… I'm… I-I'm…" Timid turned around, unable to face him, twiddling her fingers. "I'm… I didn't… mean to…"

BeastBoy tilted his head. She sounded so ashamed. Sure, the last time he'd encountered this emotion she apologized for just about everything every two seconds, but now…

"I… I-I…" she trembled, her head sinking between her shoulders. "III-E-AAAHHHH!" she cried, suddenly weightless, the ground no longer underneath her.

BeastBoy had lifted her up, balancing her bottom on his nose, gently tossing her into the air as if she were a beach ball. He playfully barked all the while, drawing laughs from Happy who was beside herself with glee.

"Ride'em cow girl!" Happy rooted with a giggle.

Timid bounced up and down in to the air, BeastBoy perfectly catching her on his nose. "I'M SORRY!" she yelped, closing her eyes, being tossed like a salad, "I'M SORRY! I-I I DIDN'T MEAN TO FALL! I'M SORRY!"

It was the boldest and most energetic the meek little emotion had ever spoken.

On the rebound of third toss, Timid came to a firm stop. Not with the ground, but not on the end of a seal's nose either. She slowly opened her eyes to find BeastBoy returned to his human form with a warm smile, having caught her in his arms.

A few stray strands of hair covered her startled and shaken face. Her eyes were sending a million different signals. Fear, shock embarrassment, uncertainty, she looked like any second she'd start crying.

"Guess that was a little much, huh?" he asked, sincerely apologetic. BeastBoy had been trying to snap her out of her barrage of never ending apologies and self-pity, but perhaps his approach had been too drastic for the nervous emotion.

Timid shrank in his arms. "I-I'm…"

"But you don't have to be sorry when ya fall. Not when there's always someone there to catch you," he smiled.

There was a brief silence.

Timid's expression returned to normal, the sorrowful look of tears vanishing. Still uncertain, but in a firm way. She gave a nod, as if saying she understood. BeastBoy set her down.

"You're Raven's shy half," he resumed his analysis. "That weepy part of her that can't help but feel sorry for everything?"

Timid nodded again. "N-Not for everything. Just…"

"I know," he said, gesturing he understood what she meant, "I… get the idea. Um… speakin' of sorry, I-I didn't mean to…"

"I-It's okay," she said softly, as if knowing what he was going to say.

"But, I coulda' really scared you and… I wasn't thinkin' and I shouldn't have…"

"It's okay."

"But I…"

Timid placed a finger on his lips, effectively shushing him.

BeastBoy blinked, looking from her to the finger to her face. There was an apologetic look to her face. Sort of like she was trying to say she was sorry without saying she was sorry. But he couldn't tell if she was trying to forgive him, or trying to forgive herself.

In an instant, Timid's eyes went wide, pulling her hand away, as if realizing what she was doing. A bewildered look, almost as if her actions were unaccounted for. Like she'd momentarily had a lapse of her emotion characteristics. She quickly pulled her hood tight over her face; turning around and speedily taking nervous steps a short distance back over to her fellow emotional counterparts as her shyness returned in full swing.

"Ooh! Ooh! My turn!" Happy flailed her hand in the air, as if wanting to be tossed around by the green seal.

Brave pulled her hood down over her eyes, which Happy just laughed off. She patted Timid on the back, straightening her up some, as the three emotions began musing to one another.

BeastBoy just smiled.

"Impressive," came Knowledge, now standing beside him, looking from the green boy to the three gossiping emotions. "Breaking emotional boundaries is hard enough, especially for Raven. Quite a feat, even if only for a moment."

"Breaking?" BeastBoy repeated, "Dude, can't I go anywhere without breaking something?" he hung his head, clearly misinterpreting.

"Chill out, BB," came a proud voice.

BeastBoy looked up to find Raven's green-cloaked emotion standing before him, with an enthusiastic grin.

"She means ya got misty eyes over there to come out of her shell," she extended her thumb, gesturing to Timid, who was now shyly conversing with Happy. "Good thing too. Cause all that 'sorry talk' can really get on your nerves after a while."

BeastBoy looked at Knowledge, who gave a nod, verifying Brave's account. He turned back to Brave. "And… you're Raven's rough and tough, 'don't mess with me' side," he recalled.

"You know it," she flexed her bicep, "Rough, tough, AND buff!" she flexed harder.

BeastBoy had met this emotion before as well. "So," he looked back at Timid, "I did good?"

Brave ceased the macho display, replacing it with a serious look of confidence. "Ya did real good," she said proudly, raising up her hand, "Gimme' five, green jeans!"

BeastBoy put up his hand as well, but had not witnessed the previous display of Brave's vaunted strength, unprepared for the amount of muscle coming his way. She swung her arm, slapping him on the palm of his with such force; he stumbled backwards, quickly loosing balance with each back-pedaled step.

"WaaAAaaAAaaAAHH!" he yelled, feeling his center of gravity getting lower and lower, his legs frantically pumping against the ground trying to keep his momentum going long enough in the hopes he could regain his balance.

BeastBoy came to a halt a mere step away from loosing the last of his vertical base, abruptly backing into someone, quickly pulling their arms around his, holding him up. Good thing too. Another inch and he would've fell flat on his back. And if it was one thing BeastBoy didn't need any more of, it was falls.

BeastBoy steadied himself, arched against who he assumed was another of Raven's emotions. Pulling his legs in, heaving himself up into a proper stance, he breathed a sigh of relief. "Phew. I gave ya five and you gave me five hundred," he said, Brave responding with a cocky smile.

BeastBoy tilted his head up; looking over his shoulder to thank whichever Raven had caught him. "Hey, thanks for the catch," he grinned. "For a second there I thought I was…"

He turned his head, now able to get a better look at his rescuer. He was greeted by a pair of the most cold, unforgiving eyes he'd ever seen.

"…in trouble," he squeaked.

An ominous stare, almost as if looking through him stopped BeastBoy cold. He stopped breathing, unmoving like a deer caught in a pair of headlights, frozen as he traced the fabric of her blood red cloak's hood hanging over her head, the shadow of which hung below her eyes, enhancing the haunting gaze as if able to show the burning glow from deep within her pupils. This part of Raven was all too clear from memory.

The bad half. The part that got out once before. Everything dark, truly dark about Raven that she wished would never see the light of day. An emotion of pure anger. All the malicious and cruel impulses that Raven had to push deep down inside of herself to keep her powers from acting out.

BeastBoy instantly snapped back to reality, frantically pushing and jerking out from Anger's grasp. Which was surprisingly easier than he might have thought. He jumped into the air, transforming into a large tiger, rolling onto the ground, quickly turning back to face red emotion. He kept his head low to the ground, his front paws leaning down, his hind legs remaining upright, a growl rumbling between his sharp teeth. He was prone into position like that of cat about to pounce on a mouse.

Anger made no movement in response whatsoever. She merely stood there, not taking her eyes off him, the same cold stare following his every move. Only the faintest of smiles curled her lip, as if daring him to strike.

BeastBoy opened his mouth, twitching his whiskers, giving a better glimpse of his ferocious fangs.

He lifted his shoulders, about to push off against the ground.

"Whoa whoa whoa," came a calm Brave, stepping between him and Anger, signaling with a wave for him to simmer down, "Easy there, Simba."

BeastBoy gave a confused look, tilting his head slightly, but still not dropping his guard.

"Yeah, don't worry, BB," Happy came bounding over him like a game of leapfrog. "Everything's hunky dory here." She made an O.K. sign.

"Indeed," Knowledge added as BeastBoy turned his head to find her at his side. "Though your heightened sense of caution is understandable, the situation is not as it was before."

BeastBoy slowly eased back into a regular stance, returning to human form. "But, I thought Raven kept her locked up, or something. Didn't she seal her up last time? Better yet, how come she's still here after we kicked that big red dude's butt?"

Knowledge folded her arms. "While the more fierce and malevolent side of Raven is still present within her, it is not a cause for alarm," Knowledge continued. "Such impulses are in all of us. It is not something so easily expunged from one self."

"So… she's part of Raven no matter what?" BeastBoy asked.

"As much a part as any of the rest of us," Knowledge pushed up her glasses. "Even with constant meditation, even tireless restraint, and yes, even with the defeat of her father, such things are always present in the back of the mind."

"So how come nobody's freakin' out like last time?" he asked, "The last time she got out, I thought she was gonna' tear me into little bitty pieces." He easily recalled the instance of Raven's momentary lapse of control only days before.

"Ah, yes. That… 'incident'," Knowledge shyly mused, clearing her throat.

"You mean the one where she nearly beat the pants off him?" Happy asked with a smile. "Oh, wait! BB did that on his own," laughed Happy.

BeastBoy blushed slightly, staring down at the ground. Had he known his counter measure against Anger was a public spectacle for all the other Ravens to see, he would've gladly allowed her to put him out of his misery

Knowledge coughed loudly, signaling to move the conversation along. "I can see how that could be misconstrued."

"Miscon-wha?" he said.

"Ya jumped the gun," Brave interjected.

"Quite," Knowledge agreed with Brave's interpretation. "While Raven may have been temporarily overwhelmed, and anger freely seized dominance, I assure you, you were in no real danger."

"No real danger?" he repeated.

"There an echo in here?" Brave remarked.

"Not unless it's comin' from inside his head," Happy chuckled quietly, playfully elbowing Brave lightly in the side.

"Guess all those remarks about him havin' a hollow head mighta' had some truth to 'em after all, huh?" Brave snickered.

"Shhh," Timid quietly hushed them, trembling behind them.

"She nearly tore up the half the tower, came this close to makin' me a green smear on the wall," he pinched his fingers together in front of the yellow emotion, "And on top of that, she almost ruined perfectly good pizza."

"A sadistic crime if I ever heard one," Brave added with a hint of sarcasm.

BeastBoy was about to go on, but Knowledge merely raised her hand, keeping him from continuing. "I understand how it must've looked, to you. But tell me, did she actually cause you any physical harm?"

BeastBoy's face stalled out for an instant. "W-Well, physically, no. But…"

"A scratch? A bruise?" Knowledge asked.

He shrugged. "Nothing visible. B-But…"

"Did she even spill one drop of blood?"

BeastBoy was quiet, knowing that she was probably taking this conversation somewhere. A trait he recognized as one of Raven's most key characteristics. He just shook his head.

"BeastBoy, you should know the extent and capability of Raven's powers more than anyone," she explained.

He nodded in agreement. "No kiddin'. I'm her target practice of choice," he smiled almost as if both proud and regretful at the same time.

"As such, you should know that if she set her mind to it, she could snag you with but a thought."

"So?"

"So," Knowledge carried on, "How did you manage to make it out, completely unscathed, from someone who could've seized, captured, and torn you apart in the blink of an eye?" she asked with a small, 'I know something you don't know', smile.

"Uh… dumb luck?" he gave a hopeful grin.

Knowledge shook her head. "She didn't harm you because she couldn't."

BeastBoy just stared, absent-mindedly in an awkward silence. "Come again?"

"It was not within her power," she replied.

"But… you just said…."

"I said Raven's 'powers' could easily overtake you. I never said anything about the will of the one using those powers."

BeastBoy mulled over her words, confused once more. It was almost like she enjoyed making his mind hit a brick wall.

He glanced over at Anger, who hadn't budged an inch the whole time, a look of hateful impatience still on her face. She hadn't said a single word out of spite; even though she plainly knew what the other parts of Raven's emotions were trying to spell out for him.

"Despite the fact that she is still amidst Raven's mind, she no longer has the indomitable power and resolution of Raven's darker half that she once possessed. After father's defeat, her hold was severely weakened. Not just 'her' will over Raven, but Trigon's influence itself over her." Knowledge pointed at Anger, ill-tempered annoyance still quietly boiling over, arms now folded, "See for yourself."

BeastBoy took a closer look, studying Anger, fixing on her face. He hadn't picked up on it before, too busy prone to defend himself at the time, but now with more careful observation, there was something he'd neglected to notice.

Anger's face was as identical as any of the others, except of course for the burning, hateful stare that pierced every fiber of his being. But something was missing. Something not present within those two cold eyes.

Exactly that. Just two eyes.

Every other time BeastBoy had encountered Raven's enraged counterpart, there were four burning red eyes, symbolic of her father's influence. But now, it was just the two, and both the same normal blue iris as Raven's normal eyes, aside from them brimming with hate.

"Uh, well now that ya mention it," he began, "She is short a few eyes. And the two she has aren't all glowy like before."

"Precisely," Knowledge verified. "What you're seeing now is her true weakened state, absent of her demonic influence."

"I would be careful just who you refer to as weak," she growled, narrowing her eyes. "Less power is NOT the same as powerless."

"Ooh, look at me. I'm shakin' in my boots," Brave scoffed.

Anger shot a similar look at Brave, who didn't even flinch.

"But, she did it before. When Raven lost it, and she took over, she had four of 'em."

"Raven's anger can still be elevated, which heightens her powers to a degree. But it's still not even close to her original power," Knowledge explained. "Mostly, it's just for show. But in this realm, she is more heavily bound."

"Which means no special effects for her," Happy giggled.

Anger growled, turning, taking a step towards her. Even the bubbly one was making a mockery of her.

Brave stepped in front of her. "Go ahead," Brave taunted; rolling up her sleeve, "I'd love for you to do something stupid."

"The only stupid thing I ever did was letting you live this long," Anger advanced another step.

Brave matched her, taking another step, closing the gap between them.

Before a full, all out brawl could ensue, Knowledge got between them, arms out as if signaling to break it up. "That's quite enough. Both of you."

Brave scoffed. "Oh, don't tell me you're actually gonna' stick up for 'her'," she complained. "You know she's had a good hurt comin' to her for a long time."

"You took the words right out of my mouth," Anger grinned sadistically.

"That is not the issue," Knowledge said, not budging, keeping between their reach of one another. "Now is not the time to pick a fight."

"Fight's been picked," Brave stared hard, almost right through the yellow emotion.

"This is not up for discussion," she reinforced her prior warning. Knowledge knew that the last thing needed in this situation was collateral damage. Conflict with dueling emotions never ended well, especially with those two. And with Raven and BeastBoy right in the middle of it all, it would only take one stray energy discharge to add two vacancies to the Tower.

Silence, with the exception of Brave huffing soft angry breaths, shifting eyes back and forth between Knowledge and Anger. She grinded her heel against the dirt, almost visualize herself pile driving Anger's head straight into the solid ground beneath her. Every second she wasn't taking a swing at Anger was like pulling teeth.

After a moment of uneasy calm, Brave merely clenched her fists, and turned to walk away, grumbling with every step.

Knowledge slowly lowered her hands.

Anger didn't budge an inch, unmoving throughout the entire confrontation. It appeared that she was the victor, watching as the green bruiser stormed off. She smirked, as if awarded victory by default. "You are wise," she said with an evil sort of content, a hollow compliment to Knowledge, "You spared her the humiliation and shame of defeat at my hands."

Brave came to a halt, now several feet away but still far enough within earshot and Anger making no attempt to keep her voice from being heard. She turned her head, narrowing her eyes coldly, gritting her teeth.

Timid and even Happy took a step back, behind BeastBoy.

"Scary," Timid squeaked.

Anger's smirk just grew, the sight of Brave's frustration coming to a boil, amusing her to no end.

"Arrrgh!" Brave growled through her teeth. She felt like she was going to explode.

Knowledge spied Anger's satisfaction, sensing she was loving every minute of this. If not an emotion bound by reason and logic, she might be tempted to take a swing at her too.

Raising her arm, giving a flick of the wrist, Knowledge uprooted a nearby tree, telekinetically hoisting it from the ground and suspending it in air next to Brave. She knew what she needed.

With only a shift of her glance, Brave reeled back a tightly packed fist, spotting Knowledge's designated target. "YAAAGGHHH!" she soundly thrust her fist into the dead center of the tree.

BA-BAMM!

The impact was similar to a crack of thunder, a burst of wind kicking up like the detonation of an atom bomb. BeastBoy morphed into a gorilla, using his thick, muscular forearms to shield him from the strong wind and scattered fragments of tree bark flying everywhere. Timid ducked behind him, as did Happy who poked her head out just enough to let her tongue waggle in the air like a dog with its head out the window of a moving car. Knowledge and Anger remained like statues, uncaring to neither move nor shield themselves.

As quickly as it had come, the wind subsided, resuming calm to the landscape. Bits and pieces of branches and bark littered the ground at Brave's feet. She panted, huffing and puffing, releasing all the pent up aggression all at once.

Knowledge merely straightened her hood, brushing back a stray strand of hair.

Brave caught her breath, inhaling deeply, before letting out a loud cleansing sigh. She leaned over, plucking a small sliver of wood from the ground. "Thanks," she said casually, walking back over to BeastBoy and the others, placing the sliver between her teeth like a toothpick, " I needed that."

Knowledge watched her calmly return along side the other emotions, relieved the hostility brought on by Anger had resolved.

"Hmmph," Anger quietly gloated to herself.

Knowledge turned around to face the red clad troublemaker. "And as for you…" she calmly warned.

"Oh? YOU'RE going to threaten me too?" Anger said, somewhat surprised in a delighted yet cruel tone, welcoming all comers at this point having made fair game of Brave. "You? The intellectual den mother?" she sneered.

Knowledge just stared uncaringly back.

"I would love to see you try," Anger carried on. "What are you going to do? Lock me in a library? Challenge me to a spelling bee? Hit me over the head with a dictionary?" Anger made light of Knowledge's brainpower, which she easily surmised proved little if any challenge to that of her physically dominating nature.

Still Knowledge composed herself casually, unhindered by Anger imposing her will.

"What of it, brainiac?" Anger taunted. "So deep in thought, you can't even form a comeback, or just now realizing what you got yourself into? She cracked her knuckles, eager to fight, or at least challenge whatever meager efforts the emotion could muster. "And don't think for one second I'd abide by that nambi pambi code of not hitting somebody with glasses, cause I…"

In an instant Knowledge lunged forward, nose to nose, staring down Anger. Flinching backwards slightly, caught off guard, she quickly recovered though, returning the stare with one of her own. This was unheard of, contrary of Knowledge's typically pacifistic attitude, usually abstaining from direct confrontation.

"Now listen here," she said quietly, just low enough so it was only audible between the two of them, "I have had quite enough of you and your masochistic behavior. I have stomached your vulgarly wicked nature well beyond acceptable measure. So hear me, and hear me well." Knowledge adjusted her glasses, masking her eyes beneath the light gleaming off her lenses. "One more impertinent remark, one more self serving means of coercion, and I'm going to bring to light one small detail I neglected to mention earlier."

Anger narrowed her eyes, swallowing hard.

"I will inform BeastBoy that while you were in control, seemingly terrorizing him, not only were you incapable of bringing harm to him…"

A bead of sweat ran down her brow.

"It wasn't just because you COULD NOT. But also rather that you DIDN'T WANT TO."

Anger took a step back, gritting her teeth, resembling Brave's prior demeanor.

Without Trigon's influence over her, giving her a one track mind to mangle, mutilate, and destroy, she was very much at the mercy of her own annoying impulses. And as much as she hated to admit it, her own petty feelings.

Anger looked to the huddled crowd of emotions, finding Brave out in front looking at her as before. BeastBoy stood next her, Happy at his side and Timid behind, peeking over the green boy's shoulder. No doubt curious as to what was going on between the two of them.

"What do ya think she's sayin' to her?" Happy mused, scratching her head.

"It can't be good," Timid whispered, clutching BeastBoy's shoulder, ducking lower, "L-look at the way she's looking at us."

"Whatever it is, it must be makin' her pretty mad," Beastboy said curiously.

"What makes ya say that?" Happy turned to him with a curious smile.

"Well, just look at her face," he observed. "It's as red as her clothes."

Anger stared back at Knowledge, still registering no change on her face. Her head sank between her shoulders, fists clenched, shaking with rage. She raised hand to eye level, pointing at Knowledge, opening her mouth to verbally berate her.

"Yes?" Knowledge asked politely.

Anger just stood there silently, mouth open. She remained like that for a few seconds before closing her mouth, biting her lower lip, retracting her hand. She then turned on her heel, marching off. She felt a tantrum coming on, and she was not about to give anyone the satisfaction of pushing her farther off the deep end. "Errrgh!" she growled.

Knowledge let a tiny smile escape, signifying cooler heads had prevailed, mentally chalking up another victory in the eternal struggle of brains against brawn.

She walked over to rejoin the others, adjusting her glasses.

"Uh," BeastBoy began, "Is… she gonna' be alright?" BeastBoy asked hesitantly, watching Anger storm off.

"Oh, she'll be fine," she reassured, looking over her shoulder. "She acts out from time to time. She just needs to clear her head."

"Looked pretty clear to me," Brave added, still following the red doppelganger with her eyes.

Happy scooted beside Knowledge. "Just what did you say to old sour puss anyway?" she leaned on her shoulder.

"Facts," she cleared her throat, "Simply the facts."

Brave just grinned, knowing it had to be more complicated than that. Just went to show that everyone has a devious side.

BeastBoy just shook his head with a smirk, having no idea what kind of private joke they were in on. " I wonder if it's like this every time Raven comes to visit."

Every gear in BeastBoy's mind came to a grinding halt, his face going blank.

"Raven!" he exclaimed.

…

Raven stirred, shifting from side to side. Her head still hurt a little, and a mild sense of queasiness didn't make waking up any easier either. Her eyes still shut tight, as if it would somehow cancel out the discomfort she felt. She let out a low groan.

"I think she's coming around," she heard a voice say.

"Either that or she's havin' one doozy of a dream," another voice chimed in with a chuckle.

"That's hormones for ya,"

Raven cracked an eye slowly letting her eyes adjust. It was bright, or at least brighter than she remembered her room to be.

"I'm surprised she slept so soundly for so long," she overheard a voice again; able to gauge they were within close proximity.

"Well, it's not as if anybody tried to wake her."

"B-better that we didn't."

"I'll say. Grouchy much?"

"You would be too. Have you ever become ill, passed out, and free fallen into a magic mirror?"

"Nope. But tomorrow's another day."

"Hey! I think she's wakin' up."

Both of Raven's eyes opened, hazily staring straight up, glancing around at the circle of individuals huddled over her. She lifted her hand, slowly bringing it to her forehead, her other hand leaning against the grassy patch beneath her, sitting up. She took a deep breath, taking a moment to allow the last of the sleepiness to pass.

Her breathing stopped. Her eyes opened in a state of alert.

That was when her mind kicked on, beginning to analyze a few flaws that didn't coincide with her memory. Why was there grass beneath her? Why were there people around her? And more importantly, WHAT THE HECK WAS GOING ON?

"Ahem," came the sound of someone clearing their throat.

Raven looked up to find a mirror image of herself dressed in a yellow cloak, similar of her own attire. She wasn't taken too much by surprise, considering she was quickly able to recognize her as her intellectual counter part. But she was still baffled about everything else.

"Y-You're…" Raven began.

Knowledge gave a nod.

Raven looked around, also identifying her other emotional doubles, all greeting her their own way. A wave here, a smile there, and the occasional nervous tremble. Upon closer inspection, she also quickly surmised she was within the confines of her meditation mirror.

"This is… But I was… How did…" she jumped between questions, as if trying to get every answer at once. Waking up in another dimension wasn't exactly something you accredit to sleep walking. Was she able to transport herself into her mirror subconsciously through sleep? A new dormant ability perhaps? Or was all of this a dream and she was still asleep?

"Raven, you're awake," came a relieved, familiar voice.

Raven looked to see the huddle of her emotions in front of her part to reveal BeastBoy. Having purposely been behind the crowd, he thought it might be best if he wasn't the first person she saw when she woke up.

"I was startin' to worry. I mean, you were out for a while. And I mean out," he nervously scratched the back of his head, taking a single step in front of her.

Raven just stared at him from the ground.

"You have no idea how much of a load off my mind this is," he relaxed his posture slightly, an anxious smile on his face. " I was startin' to think you were hurt, or you were gettin' sicker. But I guess you just really needed a snooze."

Raven continued to stare without a word.

"Well, you look a lot better. So… I guess sleep did the trick, huh?" he asked.

Raven rose to one knee, steadily getting her bearings.

"I'm almost back to feelin' normal. Course, what does a guy with green skin and pointy ears know about normal, right?" he forced a halfhearted laugh.

Raven got to her feet, now standing upright.

"Ya might wanna' take it easy Raven," he put his hands out, ready to steady her if she should wobble or fall from being disoriented. "You're still sick. I mean, I still got a little of the flu in my system too, but with all my mixed animal DNA, I get over stuff like this a lot quicker," he said, lightly thumping his chest.

Silence.

"Uh… Raven?"

Raven's emotions looked from BeastBoy to Raven, startled by the undue amount of silence on her part. Raven's eyes were deadlocked on BeastBoy, shaking fists clenched and her sides, biting down on the corner of her lower lip, as if all that was cutting off a rising level of hostility coming to a boil within her.

Her emotions were very much in tune with her emotional frequency, able to sense it without even having to try.

"Oh dear," said Knowledge.

"Oh no," said Timid.

"Oh yes," said Anger with a wicked smile.

Raven took a firm step towards the green boy, as if answering all her previous questions. Amazing how one person, the sight alone of which, could fill in so many blanks. She was still at a loss of comprehension for the finer details, like why she was in her mind. But she had the important things narrowed. Namely the where, the how, and the WHO.

"Beast…Boy!" she growled under her breath.

BeastBoy swallowed hard as Raven's shadow loomed over him.

He definitely should've let Anger put him out of his misery.

**Next Chapter:** It seems fitting of the old saying, 'out of the frying pan and into the fire'. BeastBoy may have saved Raven from one dilemma only to put himself right in front of another. Will Raven's hostility be the end of our green friend? Or can even BeastBoy talk his way out of this one?


	14. Mixed Feelings

Quality Time

**Quality Time**

**Chapter 14: Mixed Feelings**

BeastBoy stood frozen to the spot as Raven's shadow grew, almost swallowing him in the silhouette of the fuming mystic before him. He didn't know whether it was the shadow that was getting bigger, or Raven herself. He never could be sure. He always felt small when Raven got like this anyway.

Raven began the slow steady march towards him, his highly tuned elfin like ears interpreting her footsteps as boulders dropping from off a cliff. It was almost like he could hear her fury between each menacing stomp.

Anger was clearly present in her eyes, the very same that looked so peaceful moments ago. Amazing what waking up in another dimension can do to your outward expression.

BeastBoy swallowed hard. _"Dude,"_ he thought to himself, _"What'd I do to deserve this?"_ He thought for a moment. He didn't have that much time to accurately list every infraction with Raven.

"U-U-Uh… ah…. ee…," BeastBoy tried in vein to explain himself, but he was too overcome, almost choking off the residual anger that seemed to be pouring out of Raven like a smokestack, he couldn't even form a syllable.

Raven came to a stop a foot away. Not a word, not even a sound, barring the mildly heavy breathing, which chugged from beneath her nostrils like a locomotive. She stared daggers at the green boy before her, hands at her sides, palms flat, fingers curled upward as if ready to claw and rip into him at will.

BeastBoy remained motionless as if clinging to the wishful belief that somehow she'd lose sight of him if he didn't move.

Raven's emotional counterparts stood on all sides; almost equally wary as to what was about transpire. Cautiously looking from Raven to BeastBoy and back.

"S-Sh…Shouldn't we say something?" Timid squeaked almost as alarmed as BeastBoy.

"Usually words are spoken after the funeral," Rude yawned back, lazily scratching her back, looking on with a daze.

Raven took a step forward, eyes narrowed, unable to hear her doppelgangers, so focused on BeastBoy she'd nearly blotted out all sound.

A bead of sweat dripped down the side of BeastBoy's face. He knew Raven was angry. He knew she was angry with him. For once, he plainly knew 'why' she was angry with him. But that was about as far as his brain was able to function. It was sending so many signals to the rest of his body he couldn't keep up. It was telling his legs to run, but they wouldn't move. It was telling his mouth to open, but no words came out. Which was all the more frustrating.

He knew Raven's mirror was off limits but he had a legitimate reason. At least, a legitimate reason that didn't involve ninja vampires or any other crudely constructed tale of fantasy, as was the common practice of saving his skin. So how come the one time he could use reason and logic it was just out of reach?

"This… is a bad thing, right?" Happy asked barely with a smile, even her cheerful optimism beginning to run dry.

Brave sighed. "Yes, I think it would be safe to say, BeastBoy getting blown to bits inside of Raven's head would fit nicely into the BAD THINGS CATEGORY."

Raven took another step. "Beast…" she raised her arms above her chest, beginning to reach out in a grabbing motion, "…BOY!"

"Eep," was all BeastBoy could get out as Raven's feet sprang from the ground.

Brave and Knowledge exchanged brief glances. "Intervention!" they shouted in unison, thinking on the same channel.

In an instant they darted forward, catching Raven in mid lunge, her arm outstretched, only inches away from making contact with the petrified statue that was BeastBoy. They clutched her tightly, frantically restraining her, doing their best to keep Raven's shoulders locked under their arms, nearly dragging her.

"LET ME GO!" Raven bellowed, not taking her eyes off BeastBoy, her head twisting and thrashing, pushing and straining to reach for him.

More suited for matters of the mind, Knowledge was less equipped for physical incarceration. She was struggling to keep her hold. "Calm down," she shouted, dodging Raven's elbow flying back and forth, trying to break free, "A little restraint, if you please."

"Restraints would help right about now," Brave said, putting her back into keeping Raven from swinging forward.

Happy and Timid stepped out in front of BeastBoy, blocking Raven's line of sight. Maybe she'd calm down if she weren't able to look directly at him. Happy gave a renewed smile, spreading her arms out, flailing them wildly as if hoping to distract her. Timid was far less optimistic, almost quivering, holding her hands.

Their attempt was in vein, as it only served to infuriate her more. She struggled even harder.

Rude looked on, fairly concerned, but one certainly couldn't tell from her lazy, carefree facade. Anger on the other hand watched with an exceptional amount of mean spirited glee. She looked as if she were enjoying it. Not surprising, considering she was practically feeding on Raven's irritation, drinking it in through the air, almost like sunlight nurturing a flower. It was such healthy doses of her respective emotion that sustained her.

Rude looked over her shoulder at the content, red clad emotion. "I suppose you're happy," she muttered. "Raven's blown her top, everybody else is tryin' to keep green jeans from being battered and bruised, and this whole thing is majorly cuttin' into my beauty sleep," she yawned. "What more could ya want?"

Anger grinned, hovering in the air with her chin resting on her fist, watching the whole spectacle. "Popcorn?"

Meanwhile, Knowledge and Brave continued to struggle. Raven still fought, pushing to shake her counterparts with nothing more than raw aggression, still focused on her target at hand.

"Doesn't this chick ever get tired?" Brave shouted, starting to feel the strain and aggravation of trying to keep Raven steady when she hadn't let up after four whole minutes of nothing but blowing off steam.

Knowledge dug her heels into the ground, attempting to anchor Raven with dead weight. "Statistically speaking, she's accumulated more slumber and unconscious ailment related down time throughout the course of almost three quarters of the day. It's only natural that her potential energy reserve's at maximum capacity."

"Pretend I understood that," Brave grunted, following Knowledge's example, rooting her feet firmly into the ground.

"She's expended less energy, and whatever was depleted was replenished, so she's got a lot more to burn." Knowledge responded.

"If the science lesson if over," Brave said, aggravated while having to fight and think at the same time, "How much longer can she keep this up?!"

"According to my calculations…" Knowledge crunched numbers in her head, "Approximately twenty-two point six minutes."

"Aw, crud!" Brave said, sorry she asked. "Well, you're the smart one. Can't ya calm her down?"

"What do you want me to do, tell her to stop it?" Knowledge grunted in between tugs. "It's not like she's receptive to rational thought at the moment."

Raven was starting to loosen their grip around her. She could feel their fingers slowly start to slip.

Anger snickered. "Oh, yes," she said wickedly, anticipating the best was yet to come. This was better than pay-per-view. It was no secret BeastBoy could get on Raven's nerves, but had she known he could yield such negative energy out of Raven, she'd have lured him into her mirror long ago.

Raven gave another forceful push, all the more determined to teach BeastBoy a lesson he wouldn't soon forget. It was bad enough the first time he'd gone into her mirror, but to do it again, right under nose, and under the pretense of being sick? That was the final straw.

"Sh-She's looking even scarier," Timid choked out, hiding behind Happy's shoulder.

"Nah!" Happy shook her head. "She's just…"

The two looked at Raven's enraged expression. Happy didn't say it out loud, but Raven was starting to look a bit more intimidating than usual. Even the time BeastBoy stuffed her hood with chocolate pudding never made her this mad.

"…Then again," Happy giggled.

Knowledge too was beginning to suspect something was awry. She closely examined her facial expression, which was still set squarely on BeastBoy. Her eyes were almost burning and the corner of her mouth curled to bare her teeth. It was no mystery when she woke up, finding herself in her mirror along with BeastBoy, some misunderstandings were bound to occur. She'd no doubt smack him upside his head and demand an explanation at most. But now?

She'd never seen Raven this angry. Even the circumstances and her lack of understanding as to why BeastBoy had gone into her mirror wouldn't set Raven off to this degree. No matter how mad she'd gotten, she'd always managed to exercise some degree of restraint. But now, to see her so furious, so hell bent, it was baffling.

Something wasn't right. But what could be…

Knowledge looked off to the side at Anger, levitating in comfort at a premium vantage point. An evil pompous grin across her face, no doubt at their expense, finding delight in this debacle.

"Urgh!" Brave grunted, straining more and more. "Just like her to sit on the sidelines when she could actually be doing something to help. She gets snippy when things get dull, but Raven goes nuts, and she doesn't even lift a finger. You'd think she was operating her by remote control."

The gears in Knowledge's mind clicked.

"Oh no," Knowledge whispered, eyes wide as the last piece of information became clear in her mind. Knowledge began with a new sense of urgency, more determined to stop Raven than before. She hoisted on her arm, frantically backpedaling, trying put the brakes on.

"Hey, brainy! What gives?" Brave asked with a proud tone, "You get your second wind?"

"We've got to stop her, NOW!" Knowledge exclaimed.

"Really? As opposed to what we been tryin' to do?" Brave responded with aggravated sarcasm.

Knowledge strained even harder. "You don't understand. She's…"

At that instant Raven broke free, scattering the two emotions to the ground. Taking only a second to draw breath, she lunged for BeastBoy once more, closing the minor distance she'd been dragged from.

Timid yelped, pulling her hood over her eyes and crossing her arms over her head, trembling. Happy cheerfully took a step beside her, arms wide open, as if being a smiling barrier. As hesitant as the both of them were, they were all that was standing between BeastBoy and what looked like certain annihilation.

"Y-You do know s-s-she's gonna' trample us," Timid squeaked.

"Probably," Happy waved her arms like a matador shaking a red cape at a charging bull. "But we gotta' be the two bravest speed bumps ever."

Knowledge and Brave sat up, shaking off their spill to the ground. They looked to find Raven quickly closing the distance between her and BeastBoy, and two of their sister emotions attempting to bar the way.

"Move!" Knowledge shouted. "Get out of the way!"

Brave was already up and running, hoping to stop Raven before it was too late. She could only guess what she was going to do by the way she'd cast off her and Knowledge.

Brave pumped her legs hard against the ground, bolting towards her. But she knew she was only fooling herself. Raven had too much of a lead. She'd never get to her in time.

Raven took to the air a second time, fists clenched, this time determined to find her mark.

"Wha-Oh!" Happy said in peppy tone, "Here we go again."

Timid shrieked, arms up in front of her, shaking in fear, eyes shut tight. She could tell just by looking Raven wasn't just going to knock them aside. She was going to plow right through them.

BeastBoy snapped out of his daze, looking from Raven to the two of her counterparts standing in front of him. He could plainly guess what was about to happen. "Raven!" he shouted. BeastBoy pushed his way through the two of them, standing right out in front, arms outstretched. "C'mon, Raven! Cut it out!" he tried in a last ditch effort to reason with her. "Stop! I'm sorry!"

Raven merely sneered wider, closing in, her target now right out in the open.

BeastBoy might have been worried, frightened even, at the sight of a charging Raven with no sign of restraint, about to knock him clear out of the dimension. But one thing he wasn't was willing to settle for was someone else to take a thrashing meant for him.

"Aww, how sweet," Anger mused to herself. "Chivalry isn't dead. …Yet."

Raven was coming in towards BeastBoy at high speed, dive-bombing right for him.

Anger's eyes lit up with anticipation, a wicked smile on her face. This was going to be good.

Raven reeled back her arm, an aura of black energy encircling her fist, preparing to deliver an epic blow.

BeastBoy turned his head to the side, eyes shut, gritting his teeth, bracing for impact.

Raven dropped right in front of him, finally in range. She swung.

Anger's eyes snapped wide open.

…

**BLAM!**

A powerful wind kicked up, almost like a scattered maelstrom, the backlash of Raven's power released from such a concentrated strike. Raven's emotions shielded their eyes, even Rude expending the energy to duck and cover. Knowledge strained her eyes to see what was happening, but the wind was far too intense to see clearly. Everything was a blur.

A mere moment later, the wind began to die down, parting as quickly as it had begun.

Brave sat up, having been on the move as the shockwave kicked in. She had been sent tumbling a few yards back. Aside from being turned into a human tumbleweed, she was for the better part unharmed, and was quick to shake it off and resume her advance to the center of the disturbance.

A faint breeze marked the last of the aftershock as Happy peeked one eye open.

"Are… Are we dead?" Timid squeaked, still too frightened to even dare to look.

Happy slowly surveyed her surroundings, verifying everything around them to still be in tact. She held up her hand, looking at it from both front and back, certain she couldn't see through it, confirming they indeed were not ghosts. "Nope," she smirked, "The meters' still runnin'."

"A-Are you sure?" Timid asked, worry still strong in her voice. She paused a moment, but still covering her eyes. "What about BeastBoy?"

Happy's restored cheerfulness took a brief lapse, turning back to look, hoping they weren't the only survivors.

A moment passed.

"W…Well?" Timid asked, fairly alarmed at no immediate response.

…

"Whoa…" Happy said in a euphoric state of awe.

Brave and Knowledge finally caught up stopping short a few feet away. Even Rude was sluggishly making her way over. But no one made a sound. The silence was beginning to startle Timid more and more. Not so much as a gasp.

Finally giving into curiosity, she slowly pried her eyes open, peeking through her fingers.

BeastBoy stood just as he was before. Arms still out, eyes shut, looking off to the side, still frozen into position, petrified to the spot. The subtle motions of his shoulders slowly rising and falling indicated breathing, so she became fairly confident he was indeed alive. And from the side of his face that was visible, there didn't appear to be any bruising or a trace of blood, nor any kind of expression that might suggest pain.

Just above BeastBoy, Timid could make out Raven, still hanging in the air, also seemingly frozen in position, but unable to see her entirely due to BeastBoy obstructing her view.

Had Raven come to her senses at the last second? Or had her powers kicked in as some kind of defense mechanism and stopped her by halting the passage of time like before? But that didn't make any sense. If that were the case, her powers would've stopped the flow of time to everything but her.

Timid shyly and warily took a step to the side, leaning over to try to get a better glimpse at determining what had happened. Happy was already a few steps ahead of her, still looking on with an impressed and almost surprised look to her. The same could be said for all the emotions, as Brave, Knowledge and Rude alike shared similar expressions of astonishment as they inched closer, prompting her to take another few steps.

Timid side stepped next to Happy, not so much afraid anymore as she was puzzled. It was then that she got a full view at what everyone had been gaping at. And she began to share that very same look.

"…whoa," Timid shyly borrowed Happy's words, unable to think of what else to say.

Raven was suspended a few feet off the ground. She hadn't reconsidered her objective, which was proven with great clarity, as her arm was outstretched, still in full on striking fashion. Her face was still burning with frustration and a renewed sense of anger; disdain clear on her face as her eyes narrowed. It wasn't that she had missed so much as something else had gotten between her and BeastBoy.

At that moment BeastBoy finally cracked an eye himself, curious as to why his body was vacant of the intense pain he was certain had made reservations. Both eyes opened.

Her fist still crackling with telekinetic energy, Raven's arm quivered, as if still trying to bore through the red-cloaked obstacle before her. Anger's face was angled off to the side; parallel to the direction she'd been struck, but her eyes remained trained on Raven, a bitter scowl matching the intensity of Raven's face.

Surprised was the common understatement, but none more so than for Anger herself, though she certainly didn't show it. She was still trying to explain it herself. She was all set to enjoy the moment, with no intention of interfering. She would've been fine with BeastBoy becoming a green stain on the ground, at least she thought. It was like the instant she saw what was actually going to happen her body just took over of its own will. She didn't think. She just reacted.

"She took it," Timid and Happy said in unison just above a whisper.

"Yeah, I can take it," she said coldly, shifting her eyes from the two emotions back to Raven, "Can you?"

Anger cocked back her arm, letting it fly right into Raven's face, knocking her back, tumbling her to the ground. Just because she didn't fully get what was going on was no reason to forget she'd been slugged in the face.

Anger returned her arm to her hip, casually tilting her head to the side with a low crack, then spitting on the ground. Brave dropped into fighting stance, ready for whatever would come next. Timid and Happy took a step back.

Raven quickly sat up, hand over her face. "Agh!" she groaned, one eye shut, "What the heck was th…" She blinked a few times, eyes moving from left to right, as if trying to make sense of things, looking as if she'd just woken up from a bad dream.

Raven's face, previously devoid of understanding and rationality, seemed to be just now starting to comprehend what was going on around her, as if the part of her too blotted out by rage and anger had secluded itself from the rest of her. Confusion was quick to sink in.

"What's… going on here?" Raven asked.

Timid and Happy just stared, holding their breath, considering it to be a ploy to catch them off guard. Brave on the other hand, far better at reading facial reactions could tell her confusion was genuine, and dropped her shoulders, letting her arms fall to her sides, almost disappointed. She was now just as baffled.

"That's what I wanna' know," Brave said with a huff, scratching her head, having been geared up for a fight for nothing.

Raven shook her head, grunting the soreness in her face. "The last thing I recall was falling asleep in my room," she recalled, closing her eyes, as if playing it out in her mind. "It started to get chilly. The next thing I know, I came too here, saw BeastBoy, and then…"

Raven's eyes shot back open.

"BeastBoy!" she exclaimed in a particularly irked manner.

All eyes turned to the green boy of mention, who had yet to budge an inch. BeastBoy merely gave a nervous grin in response. He had a sixth sense when it came to knowing when he was in danger, and when Raven totally wanted to break him in half.

Raven stood, marching over to him. "I don't know what is going on here," she drew her accusing finger under his chin, causing him to flinch, "But I just know you're at the center of it."

BeastBoy was quick to get the impression she was upset with him. He could at least take solace in the fact she wasn't trying to kill him, but that didn't help to alleviate the feeling like he was a disobedient dog being smacked on the nose with a newspaper.

"What happened? Being sick in one dimension isn't good enough, so you had to come here?" she went on. "If killing you weren't such an easy way out of it, I'd…"

Knowledge was quick to get between the two. "Alright, that's enough of that," calmly cutting off Raven before she could get worked up. "Let's not start that all over again."

"Start what?" Raven asked, not taking too kindly to being interrupted. She knew it only gave BeastBoy more time to think of some lame defense that would seemingly justify his actions. "And what exactly is going on here?"

"Well, see…" BeastBoy started.

"Please," Knowledge courteously stopped him. "Let me. You've done so much already," she gave an appreciative smile, straightening her glasses.

"Yeah, I'll bet," Raven said in a snide tone, exchanging one last look.

Knowledge walked past Raven, stopping beside Anger, giving a look of contentment.

"Ugh!" Anger gagged, "You're not gonna' start in on one of those, 'Ya did good' speeches, are you?" Anger crossed her arms, able to predict some long-winded moral dialogue coming on.

"No," Knowledge said.

"Good,' Anger sighed, "Don't thank me either."

"I wasn't going to," Knowledge countered. "You also 'caused' a great deal of this trouble."

"Say what?" Happy giggled.

"I knew it all along," Brave gave Anger the eye.

"Wait! Caused what? What trouble?" Raven asked, not aware what they were talking about. Everything after she woke up was pretty much a blur to her at this point.

"It's alright. I wouldn't expect you to remember," Knowledge turned to Raven, "It wasn't as though you were in a clear state of mind when you were overcome by negative duress, emotional coercion, and then driven into a state where you wanted nothing more than total obliteration of BeastBoy's person."

Raven stared.

BeastBoy stared as well, having been through the whole thing but without a clue what she was talking about. "Huh?"

"Uh, smaller words, four eyes," Brave said casually, "You're losing BeastBoy."

"Hmm?" Knowledge turned back, finding Beastboy indeed lost, trying to understand anything after the words, 'It's alright'. "Oh, my apologies. Let me explain."

"Oh goodie!" Happy bounded onto the ground; sitting with her legs crossed, "Story time!"

"You see, BeastBoy, it's no secret that Raven's powers are driven by her emotions. And whatever she experiences emotionally on the outside, has a direct result on what happens here," Knowledge spread her hand, showcasing the realm of Raven's mind. "However, while inside this realm, her emotions have a much more correlated relationship. In other words, the emotional link Raven shares with each of her respective counterparts swings both ways."

"Cool, huh?" Happy said merrily. "She's like a two-way radio between us."

"Wonder what end ya talk into," Rude folded her arms.

BeastBoy tilted his head, as if trying to flow more blood to the logical part of his brain. "Um… ya mean… whatever Raven feels, they feel? And the other way around?" BeastBoy squeezed his brain cells together, hoping to form an adequate translation.

"To the extent of each emotional boundary, yes. Except that it's to a slightly more extensive scale," Knowledge nodded. "You see, when Raven first woke up, not knowing how she'd gotten from her room to her mind, she was no doubt confused. Confusion often leads to anger, and anger…"

"Leads to her," Brave stuck out her thumb, gesturing towards Anger who merely snarled in response.

"Indeed," Knowledge pushed up her glasses. "While the embodiment of Raven's anger does draw from Raven's outward irritation, while within this domain, it served a joint effect. While Raven's anger mounted, it served to fuel Anger herself. Which in turn, synced back to Raven, causing her to become …hmm… how should I put this?"

"Deranged?" Rude blurted out.

"Scary?" Timid offered.

"Psycho?" Brave added.

"Coo coo bananas?" Happy chimed in.

"Sheesh," Anger fumed, "You say it like it's a bad thing." Which was met by a nudge in the side from Brave's elbow, as if hinting she was in no position to be offered a say in the matter.

"So… Raven didn't even know she was doing it?" BeastBoy asked.

"Quite so," Knowledge nodded again. "Didn't it strike you as odd that she tried to kill you with hardly a word of explanation?"

Everyone, including Raven gave Knowledge a look that seemed to suggest she was overlooking BeastBoy's skill set.

"Uh-huh," she rolled her eyes, clearing her throat, blushing lightly from having missed such a vital piece of data. "I see your point. Still…"

"Yeah, yeah. We get it. BeastBoy's a handful, Raven's harsh," Rude said, starting to get bored. "So how come she just snapped out of it after big red nailed her?"

"Principals of magnetism, I would wager," Knowledge removed her glasses, cleaning the lenses. "Opposites attract. Like repels. Anger cancels out anger."

Raven just shook her head, still having little idea as to what was happening. "So… to sum it all up, you're saying I wound up here, having been taken from my room, while sleeping," Raven counted angrily, moving towards BeastBoy, "Emotionally charged, nearly decapitated BeastBoy, and… 'SOMEHOW'… I should be okay with that?"

Raven glared at BeastBoy, who was seriously starting to think that he just couldn't win, no matter what.

"Oh, no. No one ever said you had to be okay with it," Knowledge shrugged. "I'd be mad too."

Raven grabbed BeastBoy by the collar as if being given the all clear. Only to be grabbed by the hood of her cloak, pulled away, breaking her grip on BeastBoy. Raven looked over her shoulder, finding Knowledge with a handful of her hood in hand.

"Just not with him," she said.

BeastBoy reeled backwards at Raven's release of his collar, stopped by the open arms of Happy, propping him upright.

"Are you trying to confuse me more than I already am?" Raven asked, hanging onto her calm demeanor by a thread.

"No. We're tryin' to keep you from grinding BeastBoy into mulch," Brave responded.

"True. However, we're also trying to explain the situation in a calm manner so as to avoid any 'instances' like earlier," Knowledge added.

"Lotta good that's doin'," Rude observed.

Raven took a deep breath. "Let me ask a few simple questions," she sighed, her patience running thin. "Who brought me here, from my room to my mind?"

"BeastBoy," Knowledge answered.

Raven nodded. "Who ignored my personal space and disregarded any and all warnings from previous use of my meditation mirror?" Raven went on.

"BeastBoy," Happy replied with a smile.

"Who set off the chain events of emotional turmoil that nearly brought about his own destruction and unforeseeable damage to everything around him?" Raven's voice grew more irritable.

"B-B-BeastBoy," Timid chattered.

"And therefore," Raven asked with a final look of calmness and stability before she turned on her heel with a disgruntled look, making a b line for the green boy, "Isn't it only logical that I hold BeastBoy accountab-OW-OW-OW-OW-OW-OW!"

Knowledge had cut Raven off at the pass, snatching her firmly by the ear before she could do something rash. Raven's offense was stopped cold as her yellow emotion had a vice like grip on the soft spot of her ear lobe.

Knowledge sighed. "Once again, diplomacy has failed us."

Knowledge dragged Raven away, still keeping a tight grip. Raven could do little to resist as the pain was starting to form tears to well up in her eyes.

"Let go!" Raven ordered. "Let go. Le… OW! Please? AAAH! Please let go!" Raven's firm commands were quickly becoming more similar to pleas of mercy as the pain in her ear grew more intense.

"Come along, muscles," Knowledge beckoned to Brave, who followed close behind. It was clear Knowledge was anticipating the need of a strong arm in case a cool head couldn't prevail.

BeastBoy and the others merely watched as the three exited.

"Um," BeastBoy finally made an attempt to speak, "Shouldn't we go after them?"

"Nah," Rude laid down, splaying out on the ground to nap. "If I know her, she's probably gonna' talk her head off."

"It's ok, BB," Happy reassured him with a grin, " Brainy just needs to explain stuff to her. Ya know, Girl talk."

"Either that or discuss where his burial plot is gonna' be," Rude picked her ear.

Happy kicked a clump of grass and dirt in her face.

BeastBoy took a step back, turning to find Anger with a neutral stare trained on him, startling him. She gave no word in response.

"Uh… sorry," he smiled nervously. "Um… I… didn't get a chance to… thank you. Ya know, for not letting Raven turn me into guacamole." BeastBoy extended his hand in a show of gratitude.

Anger merely looked at his hand then back at his face. She made no movement whatsoever, nor did she say a word. She just continued to stare, causing BeastBoy to force an awkward laugh as he pulled away his hand after a moment of no reaction on her part.

"Yeah… well…" BeastBoy scratched his head, "Thanks. Really. For… not lettin' me die."

Anger narrowed her eyes.

Anger was still trying to figure out why she had reacted the way she did. It wasn't her fault she'd jumped in at the last possible second. Or rather, it wasn't as though she intentionally intervened of her own volition. What'd she care if Raven killed him? It was probably a fluke. Of course. That had to be it. Yeah, it was some deep seeded self-conscious goody-goody impulse that overpowered her. Just like her anger overpowered Raven, so had a piece of Raven overpowered her, which in this case was the urgency of a 'don't make BeastBoy dead' thought.

It would've sounded more believable if it were Knowledge though. Anger wasn't a thinker. A plotter, maybe. But for the most part, she was a raw nerve. A strong impulse. Just say the first thing that popped into her head.

Anger leaned forward, staring coldly into BeastBoy's eyes. "When the time comes," she said softly, "You and I will die together."

Happy, Rude, and Timid just blinked, wide-eyed in disbelief.

It happened again. Anger quickly snapped out of her trance like state, shaking her head. That didn't come out right.

"Wow," Rude said, standing with a smirk. "That's either the most romantic death threat, or the creepiest pick-up line I've ever heard."

"Ergh!" Anger growled. "Shut up!" She barked turning towards the bad-mannered Raven. It appeared as though she wasn't the only one saying whatever came to mind.

"Oh, what? Ya gonna' sweep me off my feet too?" Rude said mockingly.

"Now there's an idea," Anger narrowed her eyes.

Anger sweep kicked Rude's feet out from under her, letting the orange emotion fall over on her back in a heap. She grinned in satisfaction.

Rude blew a stray strand of hair out of her face, rolling over onto her stomach, giving Anger an uncaring look. "If you're waitin' for someone to tell you you're beautiful when you're angry, don't hold your breath."

The most unnerving thing about fighting someone who doesn't really care? They just shrug whatever you do off like it was nothing. Anger lowered her head between her shoulders, death glare at maximum. "THAT'S IT!"

Anger lunged for Rude, who quickly dove out of the way. For someone who never took much seriously, she was starting to show signs contrary to her nature. But then again, just about anyone would've if it were to stay out of Anger's kill zone.

BeastBoy leaned over. "Shouldn't we do something?" he whispered to Happy.

"Don't sweat it," the perky pink emotion whispered back. "She gets into trouble like this all the time. She's got it down to an art."

Anger slowly got to her feet, beginning to pace around Rude, taking her time, stalking her prey. Rude just stood there, following her every move, still a half lazy look in her eyes. This too continued to irritate Anger at the lack of fear that she was accustomed to, but it made no difference at this point to her.

"So what now, slovenly one?" Anger snarled with an evil leer, "You're not smart enough to talk your way out of this, and you don't have the muscle to keep me at bay."

Anger was right on the money. Rude didn't have the brainpower to manipulate or second-guess her as Knowledge did. Nor was gifted with Brave's uncanny strength and will power to fight her off.

"What can you possibly do against the likes of me?" Anger began to close in.

Rude matched her step for step, moving in the opposite direction. "When you're right, you're right," Rude shrugged with a laid back half smile. "But there is one upside to being a lazy, sloppy, uncaring, bad mannered emotion."

Anger grinned. "And what's that?"

In an instant, Rude sprinted behind BeastBoy, peeking over his shoulder. Anger stood at the ready, prepared to give chase no matter where she ran. Suddenly BeastBoy felt a pair of hands pressing against his back, promptly shoving him forward.

"WAAAAAAAAHHHAAAHHH!" BeastBoy flailed his arms, taken by surprise, falling right towards Anger.

Caught off guard, BeastBoy tumbled right through Anger, sending them both to the ground.

**WHOMP!**

Anger shook her head, opening her eyes to find BeastBoy lying on top of her, eyes closed, holding his head with one hand, clearly dazed from the fall. Her face went blank as before. There was that feeling again. A momentary loss of focus, almost like her pilot light had gone out. The feeling didn't last long as she quickly regained Rude in her sights.

"I play dirty," Rude proclaimed, just before razzing Anger and taking off.

Teeth bared, eyes burning, Anger shoved, or rather threw BeastBoy off of her, springing to her feet, giving chase. "GET BACK HERE YOU!"

BeastBoy rubbed his head, watching as the two emotions disappeared into the distance.

Timid stood over him, looking on with concern. "A…Are you okay?" she asked sheepishly.

BeastBoy ignored the minor aches, forcing a smile to reassure her. "Uh, Yeah. Fine."

Happy came up from behind, helping him up. "You sure?" she giggled, steadying him to his feet. "Ya look like you're about one more fall away from voiding your warranty."

BeastBoy was silent, giving no snappy reply as he tried to process the current events in his mind. On the one hand, two of Raven's emotions were now running amuck somewhere, and he just knew that somehow he was going to get blamed for it. On the other, Raven herself was probably being brought up to speed on a list of charges he'd committed just by being here. Was there anything he wasn't going to get in trouble for today?

BeastBoy sighed, worry evident in his face.

Timid and Happy exchanged looks.

"C'mon!" Happy slapped him on the back, snapping him upright. "Whatcha getting' all serious for?"

BeastBoy forced a faint smile, but still, no verbal reply.

"So…" Timid shyly began, turning to Happy "What do we do now?"

"Well…" Happy grinned. "There's still this one little matter. Remember when Raven went all scary mad when she woke up?"

Timid shuddered, tightening up. "Mm hmm," she said almost in a whimper.

"And how BeastBoy ran right out in front of us, actin' all cool in the face of getting' splatted like a bug on a windshield?" she slapped her hands together, grinding her palms against one another.

Timid nodded. "Y-Yeah," she recalled with a fright.

"Well, I don't know about you, but…" Happy turned to BeastBoy with a warm smile, leaping into the air and kicking up her heels, scarcely giving him enough time to react, catching her across his arms, bridal style. Still not fully recovered from the first fall, his knees wobbled before giving out, falling over with Happy still in his arm, taking the additional weight of the fall square on his chest. "My Hero!" Happy laughed affectionately, wrapping her arms around his neck, snuggling him tightly.

"Ah! Wha! Hey!" BeastBoy struggled, more so to keep from blushing like crazy, than having sufficient room to breath. Who knew when Raven would be back, and if she were to return at this moment, it probably wouldn't go over so well. "C'mon! Cut it out!"

BeastBoy couldn't help but let an occasional laugh escape, as Timid merely turned away, pulling her hood tightly over her head to hide the color of her face.

Meanwhile, Knowledge continued to drag Raven along, who continued to struggle but with minimal effort, trying to keep pace so as to alleviate as much pressure on the painful grip she still maintained on her ear as possible. Knowledge had made few attempts to try to explain the situation along the way, but was far from making clarity with Raven hobbling along behind her. Brave followed close behind, not as if Raven was in any position to make a break for it, but casually strolling along all the same. Finally deciding they were a significant distance where they could speak freely, without worry of BeastBoy being in the line of fire (so to speak) Knowledge released her fingers, allowing Raven to pull a step or two away, much to her relief.

She held her ear, which was throbbing and bright red from prolonged squeezing of her lobe. A cross expression of pain and annoyance was clear.

"Perhaps now we can talk," Knowledge said.

"You'll pardon me if I'm not in the mood for conversation," Raven said in a disgruntled manner.

The two locked eyes, Knowledge the first to blink. "Perhaps that was a bit… excessive," Knowledge tilted her glasses.

Raven merely gave an angry stare, feeling her statement was somehow lacking in sincerity.

"However it was necessary," she confirmed.

"Necessary?" Raven repeated, "Dragging me away like a misbehaved child, was necessary?"

"Perhaps you would've preferred something more along the lines of a cattle prod," Knowledge answered.

Brave couldn't help but snicker. This psychological demeanor of Knowledge was a refreshing change of pace from her typically quiet, bookworm like appearance.

Raven cast a hard look on Brave before turning back to Knowledge. "I would've 'preferred' being treated like a normal, rational person in my own mind." Raven snapped.

"Normal, 'rational' people don't lunge into homicidal frenzies," Knowledge responded, crossing her arms.

Raven stared for a moment before closing her eyes and taking a deep breath. "That wasn't my fault," she looked away.

"We know," Knowledge reassured her, realizing that while truthful it was a painful reminder that control was not always of her own will. "And no one blames you for that. This was merely a precaution." Knowledge placed a hand on her shoulder.

Raven walked a few steps away, letting her hand fall off her shoulder.

"Now…" Knowledge began, "As it pertains the overall situation…"

"Save your breath," Raven disrupted, bitterness quickly sinking back. She still hadn't forgotten who was most likely to blame for all this. At least, from her limited understanding.

"Didn't you hear anything we said?" Brave cut into the conversation.

"It's hard to hear anything when your ear feels like it's about to pried off," Raven remarked.

"There is a difference between not being able to hear and refusing to listen," Knowledge theorized. It was plain to see Raven had reached her own conclusion. And once Raven had her mind set on something, she refused to let go.

"Listen to what?" Raven asked firmly, "That this is all one big misunderstanding? That BeastBoy didn't force his way inside my mind? That this isn't just one big roués to keep me from playing kickball with his hollow head? This entire incident has 'BeastBoy' written all over it."

"Oh really?" Knowledge asked.

"Really," Raven clarified.

"Really?" Knowledge repeated.

"Really."

"Yeah?"

"Yeah."

"Don't ya just love it when two great minds have a philosophical debate?" Brave rolled her eyes.

The two glared at Brave, who merely shrugged it off.

"As logical, and thoroughly sound as that theory is," Knowledge sarcastically worked back into conversation, "BeastBoy is no more the cause of this debacle than you or I."

"I'll bet," Raven answered with sarcasm of her own. Raven was sticking to her still plausible theory that this all came about by means of BeastBoy's limited ability to sit still and his low boredom threshold. "He jumps into my mind, drags me along for the ride, then gets you to cover for him."

"She's right," Brave said in a sort of awe. "Holy cow, she's right. BeastBoy planned this whole thing to a T. The guy orchestrates a joy ride into another dimension, manipulates Raven into tryin' to kill'em, and then uses it as a sympathy defense so we get'em off the hook. Ya gotta hand it to him, for a guy with the IQ of a brick, it's downright genius."

Raven just stared. The statement, though in the lowest form of seriousness and reeking of sarcasm, could be taken either way. On the one hand, it summarized her entire theory. On the other, it also highlighted BeastBoy's intellectual inadequacies.

"I never said it was a smart plan. BeastBoy doesn't think, he just acts," Raven retorted. "I cannot believe you would even condone something like this. It's beyond brainless. And considering its BeastBoy, it's a sad comparison to think that you have fewer brain cells than he does. Do you know how many brain cells he even has left in that green skull of his?"

Brave looked at Knowledge as if taking the question to heart. "Do you know how many brain cells BB has in his head?"

Knowledge's brow raised, eyes looked skyward as if giving it serious thought. "Living or dead?"

Raven let out an aggravated sigh. "If you're trying to convince me that BeastBoy isn't to blame, you're doing a poor job," Raven said.

Knowledge looked back at Raven. "You still don't have reasonable doubt to think otherwise?" Knowledge asked almost mildly surprised. She knew Raven was going to be stubborn about this, but not this stubborn. Still…

"No," she said simply.

"There isn't the slightest notion that BeastBoy may have had motive behind his actions that didn't involve his own amusement?" Knowledge tilted her head.

"None."

"Isn't BeastBoy entitled to some sort of benefit of the doubt? Especially given your background and line of work?" Raven and BeastBoy were in the hero business after all.

"That remains to be seen," Raven said dryly. "Especially when you take into account that all the worst things seem to happen when he's around."

"Most likely to balance out all the 'best' things that happen when he's around," Knowledge replied.

"You must be joking," Raven raised an eyebrow.

"I'm an intellectual," she crossed her arms. "I don't have a sense of humor that I'm aware of," she said with a faint sarcastic smile.

"And you expect me to take you seriously?" Raven rolled her eyes. "As much as I'd like to believe that this whole 'BeastBoy snatching me from the freezing jaws of death' isn't a complete crock, all you've done is makes jokes, draw attention to his low train of thought, and remind me that he is prone to cause more than his fair share of mischief and general misbehavior. How am I supposed to believe that he ISN'T totally and completely at fault?"

Knowledge just shook her head. Raven wasn't going to believe her, at least not without solid proof. And who could blame her? First and foremost, this was BeastBoy. And while not the most inspiring in terms of maturity and academic comprehension, he was a decent person with a good heart. But at this rate, she was starting to think there was nothing more to say in his defense.

"Ya know what? I really don't expect you to believe anything any more!" Brave said, breaking the silence.

Both Raven and Knowledge were taken aback. Brave marched right up to Raven looking her square in the eye. "Okay, we don't want ya to cream him, but don't ya think if he had done this, ANY of this on purpose, I'd have throttled him myself? I mean even BeastBoy can only get away with so much."

"So you admit you'd cut him some slack," Raven said, still doubt in her voice, but persistent as ever. "All the more reason to think you're covering for him."

"Because we happen to like BeastBoy," Brave said defiantly, hands on her hips. "He's the friend and pet we never had."

"I regard all the Titans as my friends," Raven rebutted.

"Let me rephrase that," Brave said concisely, "A friend with a cute butt."

"EXCUSE ME?" Raven said in shock, fighting the twinge of temperature rising in her face.

"All those opposed?" Brave called out.

"NAY!" Raven exclaimed.

"Those in favor?" Brave shouted, raising her hand to cast her vote.

"I," Knowledge said clearing her throat with a blush.

Raven stared coldly at Brave. At least as coldly as possible with such warm cheeks.

"Arguing with yourself, Raven," Brave practically taunted. "Not a good sign."

Raven just huffed in response.

Brave adjusted her expression to that of a more serious one. "You really don't get it, do you? You don't have the slightest idea the kinda'… the kinda'…" Brave was stalled for words.

"Hardship?" Knowledge offered, guessing where this conversation was leading.

"Actually, I was gonna' say crap, but that works too," Brave gestured thanks to Knowledge with a wave of the hand, not taking her eyes off Raven. "The kinda' cra… 'hardship' that guy goes through on a count of you. And for what? The smallest, bare minimum kinds of simple, honest to goodness… niceness." Clearly reaching in vocabulary, but getting the point across all the same. "Hardship? What am I sayin'? Try downright brutal."

Raven was starting to take a few steps backward, somewhat intimidated by Brave's heated words. But Brave persisted, staying right in front of her, nose to nose.

"Flat out mean," Brave went on. "Cruel. Um… Urgh… Four eyes, work with me here."

"Spiteful, Hurtful," Knowledge read out calmly, as if mentally glancing threw a thesaurus. "Also see Insensitive."

"Spiteful?" Raven took offense, coming to a stop. "I'd hardly call my behavior spiteful in any aspect."

"The time the Titans dragged ya with'em to the beach?" Brave recalled as reference, "And BeastBoy begged and pleaded with ya just to get ya to play one measly little game?"

"I respectfully declined," Raven replied firmly, able to recollect.

"By burying him in the sand?" Brave said with an aggravated tone.

"Lots of people bury each other in the sand at the…"

"Head first?" Brave raised an eyebrow.

A cringe of guilt struck Raven in the gut, the equivalent of a pickaxe. Okay, so there was some merit to her claim. So she had a tendency to go a little overboard when it came to BeastBoy. So maybe overreacting and jumping to conclusions wasn't totally out of the question.

"I… He wasn't hurt," she looked away, as if that was some kind of consolation.

"No," Brave agreed. "Just in the place it hurts the most."

At that moment, Raven's mind, previously a rip tide of accusation and blame settled. So caught up in her almost routine like behavior of placing blame on BeastBoy at the first sign of … well… anything BeastBoy-esque, she'd started to neglect the fact that BeastBoy was not completely devoid of common sense and rational thinking. And that he was generally a kind person willing to help in his own 'unique' way. He just had a way of going more on impulse than on logic. Especially if that impulse was to save his friends in times of danger.

Raven hung her head, almost in shame.

"Honestly," Brave continued, starting to walk past her, "I can't figure out for the life of me why he doesn't just distance himself from you altogether." And with that, Brave sauntered off. Not so much angry but more so annoyed that it took so much to get the message across. And here she thought she was thick headed.

Knowledge watched her leave, pleasantly surprised by her passionate words. It was perhaps the first true time she'd seen her emphasize words instead of a right hook. She'd said it before, but more now than ever, breaking emotional boundaries was hard enough, especially for Raven. But, for BeastBoy to bring about such a dramatic change in any emotion, if even if only for a short time, was quite a feat.

Knowledge looked back towards Raven, perfectly still, and without a sound. She took a few steps beside her.

"Well?" Raven asked in traditional monotone.

"Well, what?" Knowledge asked.

"Aren't you going to verbally lay into me too?" she asked, demoralized, almost like she knew it was coming.

Knowledge stared at her, looking back to Brave, almost out of sight. "I don't think I can top that," she lightly shook her head.

Raven was silent and unmoving.

Knowledge gave one last look before walking back towards where they'd left BeastBoy and the others. Suddenly an audible cough stopped her in her tracks, looking over her shoulder back to Raven, as if a desperate plea without words.

"Yes?" Knowledge calmly asked, as if answering a question that wasn't asked. "Is there something you need?"

Raven was reluctant, pausing briefly before slowly walking beside her yellow-cloaked counterpart. Her gaze remained trained on her feet, not looking up from the ground as if too embarrassed to account for her behavior. "Everything," she said solemnly, "Starting from the beginning."

Knowledge gave no immediate response, studying her face, which now appeared to be open to reason and slightly down regarding the whole unpleasantness that'd come before. Slowly, Knowledge's lip curled into a gentle smile, extending her hand, patting her lightly on the back. "To hear, one has only to listen."

And with that, the two walked side by side at a steady pace, taking a slight detour as Knowledge explained everything in greater detail.

…

"C'mon, boy!" Happy shouted with a laugh.

BeastBoy in the form of a small dog jumped at Happy, dangling a stick over him, signaling he was ready to play.

"Ok! Gooooooo!" Happy winded up, "Get it!"

The pink emotion let the stick fly high into the air, as BeastBoy was already off and running, barking all the way. With fair amount of speed, the green dog got out in front of the stick, now beginning to descend, arching downwards toward the ground. He pounced up, leaping into the air, catching the stick perfectly in his canine mouth, spinning all the way around before landing back on all fours. No matter what form, he never could resist the chance to show off.

Happy applauded with great enthusiasm. "Good boy!" she said, kneeling down as BeastBoy came running back to her.

She took the stick from his mouth, petting him on the head, gently scratching him behind the ears. The furry green dog panted, letting his tongue hang out.

A short distance away, rustling from a nearby thick patch of bushes went unnoticed, as Raven poked her head through the lower base of the shrubbery, just enough to see, but keeping out of sight.

Raven looked on with her usual vacant stare. "Figures," she sighed to herself.

Having been brought up to speed by Knowledge, Raven was now fully informed in terms of the circumstances regarding their situation. Still finding it rather hard to believe, and a compelling need of questioning the matter further aside, she was just a little uncertain as to what her next move was going to be. It wasn't as though she could just pick up where she left off. What was she supposed to say? 'Hey, BeastBoy. Sorry I tried to kill you, unjustifiably blamed and accused you, and thought less of you than usual?' Oh yeah, that's sympathy card material.

"Just like BeastBoy," she muttered, slightly annoyed that while just about every emotional being in her mind was asserting their will over her, he was being as childish as ever. "I'm playing twenty questions with my smart half, and how does he bide his time? He rents himself out as a flea circus to the one person peppier than he is."

Although deep down it was somewhat of a relief to find he hadn't spent the entire time obsessing over how Raven might've conceivably killed him, as he normally did when he messed up. Especially since he actually wasn't at fault this time. Putting him through an anxiety attack like that after the third degree she gave him would've made her feel even worse than she already did.

Raven watched as Happy continued to play with BeastBoy, as her meeker half stood off to the side only a few feet away from the two. Doing her best to keep a weak smile visible, Timid still hung back in as shy a manner as ever, choosing rather to watch than to participate than to no doubt be launched into a thorough apology session for just about anything, as she thought she was bound to do.

"Aww, come on," Happy pleaded with a grin, turning away from the green dog just for a moment to her gray suited sister, "Will you come on over already. He won't bite." Happy turned back, frivolously stroking BeastBoy's head, as if trying to coax Timid into joining them.

BeastBoy barked, as if agreeing with her.

Timid merely looked away, twiddling her fingers. "B-But… I…" she squeaked, taking a step back. "I… I don't think I'm… ya know…"

Happy was quick to see this was going nowhere fast. It wasn't as though she was devoid of enjoyment. She just needed more convincing and reinforcement than others. She then smirked, looking over to the green dog at her side. Leaning over, Happy whispered into BeastBoy's canine ear. He simply nodded, to which Happy nodded back.

Happy stood, calling once more over to Timid. "Come on," she giggled.

Timid still bashfully looked away, hanging her head between her shoulders.

ARFF!

Timid's head rose, looking back to Happy, about to deliver another of her humble apologies. She felt it'd be better if she were to abstain from their activities, unable to compete with her emotional compatriot when it came to fun and other things that didn't involve being a wet blanket in general. But as she opened her mouth to speak, she noticed BeastBoy was nowhere to be seen. Somewhat puzzled, she looked around, still without a clue as to where the green dog had gotten to.

ARFF! ARFF!

Somewhat startled by the proximity of the energetic barking, Timid jumped back a step as she looked down to find BeastBoy sitting up, looking up at her with big eyes and wagging his tail, having dropped the stick in front of her.

Timid made no movement whatsoever, as if trying to recover from the initial surprise.

BeastBoy made no sudden move either, knowing that she startled easily.

"I-I… I…" Timid huddled her hands together, "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to… I'm just not very good… at…"

BeastBoy nudged the stick closer with his nose, looking back up at her.

Timid looked at the stick before looking back at him. Uncertainty was always a factor when Timid was involved. Slowly, Timid leaned down, delicately picking up the stick.

BARK!

BeastBoy seemed to approve.

Briefly examining the stick, she looked back over to Happy who gave a nod and a hearty smile. It was plain to see what the two of them wanted her to do. She looked back down at BeastBoy as if having second thoughts, wanting to debate the issue further. "Um… I-I'm not really much of…"

BeastBoy made a low whimpering, tilting his head slightly. The saddest expression he could muster in canine form, metaphorically cutting her to the bone. Timid had some knowledge of this from Raven's memory but she'd never thought she'd have to experience it up close and personal. Normally, 'the face' was a routine reserved for Starfire in feline form to cheer her up (or get BeastBoy out of trouble, whichever came first) by constructing the cutest type of heart melting appearance possible. This however was the canine equivalent, producing a much more sad, sympathetic, almost guilt ridden effect.

Timid's lower lip trembled a bit, shutting her eyes tight, quickly looking away. It was ironic that she'd succumb so quickly to the very effect her ceaseless apologies and otherwise delicate nature triggered. "STOP!" Timid pleaded, hands out in front of her, as if surrendering, "Please! I-I'll do it. I'll do it."

BeastBoy barked with instant vigor, almost going from pleading to spunky in 3 seconds flat.

Timid looked down at the little jade dog, her weak smile resurfacing. She then looked back to the stick in hand.

"Come on," Happy encouraged. "Let her rip!"

Timid looked back down at BeastBoy, anxiously running circles around her, rooting her on in his own way.

Still somewhat nervous and unsure of herself, she hesitantly reeled back her arm, her muscles trembling, as she closed her eyes and gave a mighty heave. "Eeeyah!" she grunted putting her shoulder into the throw, sending the stick hurdling through the air… a whole six inches away.

BeastBoy and Happy both looked down at the stick, which lay almost directly in front of Timid. Obviously throwing wasn't her strong suit. The only strength she had was in tears, which was fitting since she felt like crying upon just how feeble a throw she'd mustered.

Timid merely sighed, her shoulders drooping. It would've been worse though. It could've landed behind her.

"Uh…" Happy felt compelled to say something to keep the potential energy high, "The wind took it!" Happy put her finger in her mouth, quickly removing it to hold up in the air, as if to test the wind direction. "Yup! Definitely the wind," Happy assured with a grin. "Try it again."

Timid was far less confident, not detecting even the slightest draft at present. She cast her eyes down on the ground, about to turn away to hang her head in shame before she felt a gentle tug on her cloak. She glanced over her shoulder.

BeastBoy, firm grip of gray cloak in mouth, pulled and tugged, halting the downward spiral of Timid's already downtrodden spirit. Accompanied by muffled whimpering, he pleaded for her to remain.

"I think 'someone' wants ya to give it another go," Happy said with a lovey-dovey tone.

Looking deep into the green dog's eyes, internally debating heavily whether or not to endure the possible embarrassment she'd undoubtedly bring upon herself, Timid just couldn't bring herself to refuse. She submissively consented, giving a small nod, but still an intense look of hesitation on her face.

"Alright!" Happy cheered, the sight of hope not yet lost.

BeastBoy picked up the stick in his mouth, presenting it to Timid once more. As delicately as before, she gently plucked the stick from BeastBoy's mouth, looking at it as before. She took a deep breath, exhaling with a small sigh.

The green dog circled her once, stopping at her side, briefly nuzzling her ankle.

Timid looked down appreciatively, grateful for the vote of confidence, but still far from any kind of overwhelming self-assurance. She once more cast her view upward, towards the vast open space to which she was expected to throw.

She closed her eyes, reeling back in the same manner as before, her arm shaking even more.

"Come on! You can do it!" Happy hooted and hollered, "Bring the heat!"

Timid did her best to steel her nerves, but she was just too low of will.

BeastBoy could tell by looking at her quivering arm as it pulled back, it wasn't looking good either. She couldn't bear another disappointment, and neither could he. That weepy expression on her face tore right through him. It was time for a little 'help'.

Just as Timid's arm went into the final wind up, BeastBoy ducked underneath Timid's cloak, standing up on his hind legs. Rearing back his head, he thrust forward and…

"WWWAAAAAAAHHHHH!"

In a sudden burst of uncanny reflex, Timid vaulted forward, sending the stick flying at remarkable velocity.

BeastBoy peeked out from behind Timid, watching as the stick took off like a shot. The dog's ace in the hole: the cold wet nose in the middle of the back. Ideal for wake up calls, general mischief, and snapping sensitive emotions out of depressing funk.

The two of them watched in amazement as the stick flew like a bullet, ripping through the air.

"Woo-Hoo!" Happy cheered, throwing her fist into the air, "Way to g-"

**BAM!**

The stick had accelerated past any foreseeable distance BeastBoy or Timid had perceived, traveling straight into the unsuspecting obstacle that was Happy's face. It struck her right between the eyes, not enough to do any real damage, but just enough to take her off her feet.

Timid gasped, covering her mouth in shock as BeastBoy took off running to make sure she was okay. He was quickly right beside the pink emotion, as her head raised slightly, eyes spinning in a daze, a pale red imprint of the stick embossed right across her face.

"H-Hey, batter," she said woozily with grin, "Hey, batter battah', swing." And with that, her head fell back against the ground with a thud.

BeastBoy sniffed the side of her face, whimpering in concern, lapping her cheek with his tongue.

"I… I wasn't… I didn't mean to…" Timid struggled to explain herself, "I'm… I'm sorry!" Timid ran off, unable to cope with her involuntary action of hurting her sister emotion.

At that moment, Happy sat up, shaking off the smack to her face with a renewed smile. "Whoo!" Happy exclaimed with a laugh, obviously having not been injured as seriously as assumed. "Wow, she really clobbered me."

Happy turned to reassure BeastBoy with a smile, who merely barked, turning his head to point out Timid's departure. Looking up to find Timid off and running, visibly upset, Happy merely scratched her head as if something had gone awry.

"Oops," she giggled, sounding embarrassed, "Think I mighta' over did it a little." She'd only wanted to raise Timid's self esteem. Instead, she'd given the impression she'd been hurt. Her assumption was that Timid would be quick to run to her side with an apology and insisting she didn't know her own strength. Apparently, it'd had quite the opposite effect.

BeastBoy barked once more, clearly emphasizing his concern.

"Don't worry," Happy said, getting to her feet, brushing off her knees, "I'll bring her back." Happy began to jog after her. Knowing of Timid's less than adequate physical ability, she knew it wouldn't take long for her to tire out. She'd catch up with her in no time. This wasn't the first time Timid had run off at the smallest of misunderstandings. "Wait here, BB," Happy turned, running backwards. "I'll be back before ya know it." Happy turned back around, picking up her pace substantially. "Hey, mopey!" Happy cheerfully shouted as she gave chase, "Wait up! I was just foolin'. It didn't even hurt that bad!"

Happy's voice grew more and more distant, as she faded from sight.

BeastBoy just stood there a few moments, before hesitantly turning around and walking over to a shady spot amidst a wide-open green patch of soft grass. He circled a particularly cozy looking patch before curling up and lying down to rest. All this excitement had taken it out of him, deciding he could fit in a small nap before the emotions returned.

Stretching out his furry green paws, letting out a yawn, BeastBoy folded his arms, nestling his head between them and slowly drifted off to sleep.

Raven watched, still remaining concealed amongst the bushes, having not budged the entire time. She too followed soon, crossing her arms, and laid her head on its side, merely staring at the green dog soundly sleeping a short distance away. She was still trying to think of what she was going to say, so BeastBoy sleeping bought her some more time at least. After all, she certainly wasn't going to disturb him now just so she could stammer out some kind of half-baked explanation.

"Hmm, Interesting," came a low voice beside her.

"Gah!" turned, startled to find her intellectual emotion lying beside her, looking on as well, nearly jumping out of her skin. "How long have you been there?" Raven angrily asked in a low voice so as not to wake BeastBoy.

"Depends," Knowledge quietly replied, not bothering to face her. "How long have you been spying on our green visitor?"

Raven grumbled under her breath. "I was not spying," she seethed.

"You were watchin'em. You were listenin' in without them knowing," came another familiar voice on her other side. "What would you call it?"

Raven turned to her other side, startled yet again, but not as much to find Brave with a smug look on her face. "I was monitoring him," she snapped.

"Them," Knowledge corrected calmly, "You were monitoring them."

Raven merely gave her an irritated look as a response. She'd always said BeastBoy needed a platoon of babysitters, but this was hardly what she had in mind.

"So, pray tell, just how long do you intend to lie here and watch BeastBoy sleep?" Knowledge asked.

"It'd be sweet if it weren't so creepy," Brave shuddered with a smirk.

"Not at all," Knowledge answered. "Truthfully, I find it rather soothing."

"Oh, in that case, I'll getcha' a flea collar and you can go lay down right beside him," Brave teased.

Raven grew more and more annoyed, her counterparts now talking as if she weren't even there. "Could you at least 'pretend' I'm not right between the two of you?" she said bitterly, struggling to keep her voice down.

The two of them went silent. At first Raven thought it was too sudden, shifting her eyes back and forth between the two of them. But after a few moments of continued peace, Raven's anxiety dissipated, gradually turning her attention back to BeastBoy and regaining her train of thought as to what she was going to say.

And that's when she heard it.

"Hmm hm hmhm, Hmm hm hmhm," Brave began to hum to herself.

Instantly Raven's eyes narrowed at the green emotion once again, clearly recognizing the tune as the synonymous wedding jingle of 'Here Comes the Bride'. She had hoped this tidbit of information would somehow be void from her emotion's knowledge, but clearly that was wishful thinking on her part. She could feel the urge to inflict bodily harm rising once more. She didn't know whom she wanted to throttle more: the emotion humming it, or Cyborg for first mockingly passing it on to her.

Raven stared coldly at her.

It took Brave a few seconds to pretend not to notice before actually facing her with a false confusion on her face, unable to keep a straight face. "What?" she asked innocently, "Am I outta' tune?"

Raven gritted her teeth.

"Calm yourself, Raven," Knowledge played chaperone. "She's merely trying to ease the tension," she referred to the quiet stress Raven was suffering internally.

"She's gonna' ease her way into a body cast if she keeps this up," she muttered, trying to restrain her tranquility in as quiet a tone as possible.

"Ya know you're ugly when you're angry?" Brave goaded her further.

Raven focused her fiercest glare at the bold emotion, which did little waver her attitude.

"Ooh," Brave mocked with a shiver, "No one wonder green jeans is so scared of ya. I think I need a teddy bear to hug." Brave slouched on one shoulder. "Hmm, wonder if BB takes requests," she mused.

Raven quickly turned to Knowledge, resisting the urge to rear up and bite her head off. It was clear she wasn't getting through to her. "Can't you at least get her to knock it off?"

Knowledge took her sights off BeastBoy for the first time to look at her, adjusting her glasses. "If you insist."

"I do," Raven said with a sigh, as if somewhat grateful one of the two was still rational to some degree.

Knowledge tilted an eyebrow. "Remember that phrase."

"Ugh!" Raven buried her head in her arms, unable to see the subtle high five the two emotions shared over her head. It was almost too much for one person to bear.

The two paused briefly watching Raven, still unmoving, her head sunk between her arms.

"Think she's had enough?" Brave asked.

"Quite," Knowledge nodded. "A bit cruel though, I admit."

"Yeah, but at last it got her mind off how she's gonna' apologize to BB for trying to grind him into compost…. Whoop," Brave slapped her hand over her mouth.

Knowledge shot a look of annoyance her way.

"I knew what you were doing," Raven muffled, not bothering to lift her head.

"Ya did?" Brave said, almost surprised.

"Of course she did," Knowledge turned her attention back to BeastBoy, " She isn't stupid."

"Then why'd she get so bent outta' shape?" Brave shrugged.

"Because it reminds me how relentless I can be," Raven said halfheartedly.

Knowledge looked off to the side, as did Brave. It was clear why Raven was so preoccupied with what she was going to say to BeastBoy.

Brave sighed, finally breaking the silence. "So… how much more of this ya think she can take?"

Knowledge raised her head upright, pushing up her glasses, steadying her vision. "I don't know. But I think we're about to find out," she said vaguely making out something approaching through the thick underbrush.

Brave's expression gave way to confusion, looking out to see what had gotten her academic counterpart's attention.

A short silence passed as Raven lifted her head just enough to lazily peek out into the open where BeastBoy still lay. Becoming more attentive at the first sight of something coming into view, Raven fully lifted her head up watching as a figure gently pushed its way past a few stray branches out into the open. She unfolded her arms, leaning upward onto her elbows as she steadied her vision on the individual now standing only a few feet away from BeastBoy.

Another of her emotional equivalents, dictated clearly by her uncanny likeness to Raven. She dawned a cloak, as all the others did, only hers more of a soft purple.

"Who's that?" Raven asked quietly, still not wanting to attract attention, studying the previously unknown emotion.

"That would be you," Brave replied in a slightly snobbish tone, as if it wasn't obvious.

She sighed. "I know myself when I see it," Raven responded, "What I mean is, 'WHO' as in which emotional identity am I looking at?"

"I actually can't say I'm surprised," Knowledge began, watching as the purple emotion walked softly towards where the slumbering green dog lay. "Your lack of understanding is expected, considering you've never truly encountered this one face to face, as it were."

"Why?" Raven asked, looking away only to face Knowledge for a split second before turning right back to the emotion in question.

"This one is the more fleeting of your emotional counterparts. While you have come a long way in terms allowing your emotions a lesser degree of restraint and allowing them contrast amongst each other, she is more of a… um… how can I put this?" Knowledge spoke.

"A loner?" Brave said, as if guessing.

"Hmm… somewhat," Knowledge thought it over. "But that sounds rather pessimistic. Let's think of her more as… easily exhaustible."

"What's that supposed to mean?" Raven asked, not quite following.

"It means that she's here one minute, and she's gone the next," Brave answered with a snap of her fingers.

"Quite. While she does get around in your emotional subconscious a fair bit, I'm afraid you still have yet to feel enough to allow her to indefinitely generate herself within this realm as an emotional embodiment like the rest of us," Knowledge said earnestly, almost feeling sorry for her.

Raven remained silent, wanting to push more, but not wanting to seem any more desperate than she already was.

At that moment, the green dog morphed back into human form, still asleep, somewhat taking Raven by surprise considering she'd just been focused squarely on a green canine. Obviously BeastBoy had sunken into a deeper sleep, which disrupted his concentration, forcing his body to revert back upon no longer being able to maintain a train of thought for precise animal form.

The purple emotion kneeled down softly on the grass, just in front of BeastBoy's head, which lay flat against the ground.

Raven felt a lump in her throat. Not out of fear necessarily, just as a sort of ominous knowing without knowing sort of instinct. She plainly knew that as a part of her, she would have no intention to harm BeastBoy, as none of her other parts did, but she couldn't help but get this sinking feeling.

The emotion then gently laid both hands on his face, one on each side. Her palms flat against his cheeks, her fingertips softly pressing under his chin, she gently lifted his head off of the ground and onto her lap. Certain that he was comfortable and with no risk of his head sliding off, she slowly removed one hand to prop against the ground as she reclined into a more comfortable sitting position, sitting on her ankles.

Raven watched as the unknown doppelganger became more at ease, unable to keep her face from contorting in annoyance.

"Jealous?" Knowledge conjectured.

"Jealous? Of her?" Raven said, caught off guard, annoyance still clear in her voice. "You've got to be joking. Look at her," she extended her hand in the emotion's direction, "She's… embarrassing. So… so… purple."

"And what, pray tell, is wrong with purple?" Knowledge asked.

"Yeah. Our hair is purple. Starfire's favorite ensemble is purple," Brave added.

"BeastBoy's underwear is purple," Knowledge continued.

"That's beside the poi…" Raven stopped. "How do you know that?"

Brave and Knowledge looked at one another. "You're the observant one," Brave smirked, "You tell us."

"Ugh!" Raven groaned, dragging her hand from her forehead down her face, resuming her dead stare on the BeastBoy and his new sleeping arrangement.

"Raven," Knowledge started in a more serious, caring tone, joining Raven's train of sight in the hopes of calming her down.

Raven shifted her pupils to the side, just barely looking at Knowledge out of the corner of her eye, hand still covering her face.

"That is another part of you. A part that has been buried deep down in the recesses of your mind for a very long time. And circumstances aside, you should only be grateful that it's a part of you not lost forever during the more difficult tribulations of your life experiences." Knowledge bowed her head, closing her eyes, her own profound words reaching a very integral part of her own emotional link to Raven. "I think it best if you could reflect on this moment as…" Knowledge opened her eyes, looking back to Raven, only to find she wasn't there. "Raven?" Knowledge called, finding her absent of her position beside her. "Raven?"

Knowledge looked forward once more, finding Raven marching towards the purple emotion and the green boy perched on her lap. Knowledge gave a brief frown, before letting her head hang in a sigh. "Hmmph," Knowledge cracked a smile. "She never was fully equipped to take delicate matters well."

Brave watched Knowledge, who intently followed Raven's movements with a sort of calculated satisfaction. "You're enjoying this aren't you?" Brave asked, as if not already knowing the answer.

"Only slightly more than a lot," Knowledge adjusted her glasses rims with a small smile.

Raven was walking with a purpose, a determined look on her face. Sure if she'd hung back a while longer, she might've gotten more information in regards to this emotion's identity and have a better idea of what she was getting into, but she was in no mood to wait. What was next? Peeling grapes for him when he woke up?

The emotion turned to the side, clearly able to hear Raven's approach, now within a few feet.

Raven came to a stop right in front of her, looking down at her, staring right through her.

The emotion looked up at her, the first opportunity for Raven to truly get a good look at her face. Having seen her other emotions, who all resembled her facial features, Raven had thought it would be no different, and she was right.

…Sort of.

Her purple robed doppelganger merely looked at Raven innocently, leaving little suspicion to any kind of intent. Her eyes had a sort of luster to them, as if a kind of purity Raven had never seen before, at least not within herself. She gave a subtle smile, not like Knowledge or Brave had when she could see they were plainly thinking of some manipulative way to tease her. But rather a passive sort of smile that seemed to suggest everything was all right, this… look of contentment.

Momentarily caught off guard by the sheer serenity in her face, Raven admittedly flinched before hardening her resolve towards her. Raven had been expecting her to be defensive, or protective, or some kind of moody attitude she'd come to expect from her other emotional counterparts. But to her surprise, she found none. Nothing at all.

There was something calming about her face, which made it all the more difficult for her to retain any form of angry expression towards her. But still, Raven managed to at least form an un-amused look of aggravation with her.

"Alright," Raven huffed, doing her best to keep herself focused so as not to let her mindset be swayed by this disarming gaze, "Just WHAT do you think you're d…"

"Shhhhhh," the emotion peacefully hushed, a finger over her lips. She then pointed her finger downward, gesturing to BeastBoy asleep on her lap.

Raven gave a hard stare at her. She wanted to suspect that she was just hiding behind BeastBoy, that she was just using him as excuse. But somehow, that face, just the simple honest look on her face, without any kind of hidden agenda behind it just seemed to disable her resentment from growing. That, and there was still the issue that if BeastBoy was to wake up, and she was still without anything to say for herself, it could prove to be difficult.

She did her best to fight it, keeping her eyes locked on her. But the emotion in turn merely looked at her as passively as ever, letting her smile show just a bit more clearly as her way of thanks for quieting herself.

Raven just narrowed her eyes at her. She wouldn't be intimidated.

Except that her emotion wasn't trying to intimidate her. In fact, she wasn't trying anything at all, other than keeping BeastBoy comfortably asleep.

The purple emotion looked back down at BeastBoy once more, gently brushing away a stray strand of hair from his face, letting her fingers lightly sweep against his forehead along the way.

"COULD YOU…" Raven stopped herself on the verge of an outburst, brining her thoughts under control with a deep breath and stabilizing the volume of her voice. "Could you please not do…'that'" Raven whispered, getting somewhat highly strung over her just casually touching him and holding him like she was, even though she didn't seem to think anything of it.

The emotion removed her hand away from the green boy, returning it to her side, turning to Raven with her full attention, along with that same immobilizing gaze.

"…"

Raven let out a sigh. Her irritation finally gave way, disappearing from her face, replaced by her neutral yet serious expression. That look of hers finally got to her, cooling her mind like a hot plate in a snowstorm. Probably better that it had calmed her. This getting bent out of shape clearly wasn't helping her already delicate grasp of control at present.

Raven dropped to the ground in her traditional lotus position, letting out another deep breath. She just watched her emotion, only occasionally shifting a quick glance at BeastBoy, as if monitoring for any sign that he was stirring or about to wake.

The emotion in front of her merely tilted her head to the side, giving a relaxed and almost glad sort of smile that Raven appeared just a little more at ease. Which just goes to show looks can be deceiving. Raven was just on edge as before, she was just doing a better job of concealing it now that she was a little calmer.

"So…" Raven began, talking quietly, "Who a…"

The emotion held up her hand, as if signaling to stop with a tranquil glance. Even if BeastBoy was deeper in sleep, his ears weren't just for show. And with the two of them in close proximity, she didn't want to chance waking him. Raven wasn't the only one who'd had a trying day.

Her counterpart looked around, specifically studying the ground a moment, before ripping up a few clumps of grass, exposing the bare dirt and soil on a sizeable space in between them.

Raven exchanged a puzzled look between her and the newly tilled up space of earth.

Smoothing out the dirt with her hand, it became obvious she had given them the means of an alternate form of communication as she extended her finger, sticking it into the dirt, and began pushing her finger around, writing in the soil. It was a perfect way for the two of them to converse without any risk of awakening BeastBoy.

She removed her finger from the dirt, pulling her hand away, indicating that she was finished. Raven had to tilt her head to better read the message, being that she was sitting to the side of her, but it was fairly easy to make out:

'Feeling better?'

A simple enough question, short and straight to the point.

Raven looked back up at her, finding a genuine expression of care in her kind face. In truth, she hadn't really given her ailment much thought, but now that she stopped to think, she was actually feeling much better. Perhaps with her mind taken off of it, she'd just been able to ignore it long enough for it not to bother her, or maybe being in her mirror accelerated healing. Or maybe she burned it off in her mindless ensued rage towards Beas…

Bad train of thought.

Raven lightly shook her head, not wanting to dwell on that premise any more than she already had. She wiped her hand across the dirt like an eraser over a blackboard, smoothing the soil and replied via inscribing her answer as her emotion had.

'Slightly better'

Raven looked back up at her just as she finished reading, to which she responded with a nod and a faint smile.

Her emotion thought for minute, looking up, then casually wiping the dirt once more and writing another message.

'Trouble with others?'

Raven looked at her, a bit baffled by her question.

She smirked briefly; peering over her shoulder at the thick bushes in the distance behind them, then back at her.

Raven turned her head, but stopped just before she could look over her shoulder, realizing what she was getting at. She'd forgotten that Knowledge and Brave were still there. It appeared this emotion, innocent as she was, was certainly not clueless. She was much more perceptive than she looked.

Raven gave a dull look of amusement as she wiped away the message from the ground, replying once more.

'You have no idea'

The purple emotion lightly puffed her cheeks, as if holding in a silent giggle.

Raven returned the gesture with a roll of the eyes, accompanied by a weak smirk.

Her emotional twin cast her eyes downward again, pausing a moment before carefully wiping the dirt again, slowly writing out another inquiry.

Raven watched her as she wrote, a look of deep care on her face. The emotion pulled her hand away, slowly looking back up at Raven, who in turn looked down to see what she'd written.

'Like him?'

Raven looked up, tilting an eyebrow.

Her emotion merely pointed down at the only other person in the vicinity.

Raven was taken aback, mentally caught off guard, as if somehow unable to process the question, almost falling back onto her hands.

A look of shock on her face, she looked at the emotion with overwhelming distress, as if she was insinuating that she was misreading the circumstances. But all her emotion could counter with was silence, patiently waiting for an answer.

Raven's mouth stammered to form words, but she was still so thrown by the random nature of the question, none could be heard. She was mute.

Her emotion merely watched her, patient as ever.

Raven's face tightened up, visibly angry. She'd been willing to go along with this quiet conversation, but this crossed the line. No doubt, this was her intention all along. Or maybe she was put up to it by one of her other emotions just to coax another cheap laugh at her expense. That was the last straw. She wasn't about to be made for sport again in her own mind.

Raven opened her mouth to break the silence, that determination returning, ready give a piece of her mind, as she had been prepared to in the first place.

But something stopped her before she could utter a single word, as she more closely examined the emotion's face. It was that look again, just vaguely different than before. It was a sincere unbiased look in her eyes. In fact, it was almost reminiscent of the kind of innocence that could often be seen in Starfire's eyes. That look she had whenever she asked something so simple, so common knowledge, it always seemed to take you by surprise that she honestly didn't know the answer. Granted, in most cases it was in context to life among a planet other than her own, but the perception was essentially the same. She wasn't asking to tease her, nor was she asking out of sarcasm, or any other kind of influenced thought. It was just a simple question to her. And all she seemed to want was a simple answer. A simple, honest answer.

The emotion looked down at BeastBoy, who still lie asleep, hardly a sound out of him barring the soft breathing while he slept peacefully. She glanced back up at Raven, straight faced, without the smile Raven had come to associate with this new emotion. It appeared she was serious about an honest answer.

Mouth still ajar, Raven struggled to think of what to say, closing her eyes, giving serious thought and consideration, biting her lip. After a moment of intense deliberation, she slowly opened her eyes, hesitantly reaching out to the ground. She wiped the message away, and wrote very quickly and carefully:

'Thinking about it'

She didn't say a word. And neither did Raven. They merely stared at one another before the emotion returned a warm smile to her face, as if signifying that was good enough.

Raven exhaled, slowly finding herself returning the smile. Somehow, it seemed to relieve her, though she didn't really know why. But she decided not to press. Besides, it wasn't as though anyone, least of all Knowledge, would just give her a straight answer anyway.

Raven and her sister emotion just sat there quietly.

So peaceful… so calm…

"Hey, guys!"

The two looked over, startled, to find Happy bounding towards them. Following close behind was Timid, if you could call being towed by the arm following. Timid was trying to keep pace, tripping over her own feet as she was tugged along for the ride. It seemed Happy was true to her word, having brought her back.

'_Well, that's fair enough',_ Raven thought to herself, _'BeastBoy retrieves a stick for her and she retrieves a person for him'._

Happy was chugging straight for them, waving and hollering all the way, with Timid still dragging behind, panting and yelling over her feet tripping over one another so much she was unable to make a cry for Happy to slow down.

The purple emotion grew concerned. Not that she minded her sister emotions, but Happy was making far too much noise and would surely wake BeastBoy within a few more feet.

She snapped her head to the side, turning shoulder to shoulder. As she did so, a wall of black energy spread out in front of the two approaching emotions, hopefully to keep them from advancing and quiet them down until they could be made to understand.

But from such a fair distance away, she was unable to gauge just how fast Happy was going and…

**WHAM!**

Happy slammed right into the energy barrier, taking Timid along for the ride. The both of them dropped to the ground in rigor mortis fashion.

The purple emotion gasped, obviously not her intention. She instantly dissipated the barrier, looking to Raven.

Raven could see worry clear on her face, no doubt an accident, but given previous teasing at her expense earlier, she really could've cared less. To that end, she merely shook her head with a smirk.

The emotion slowly looked down at BeastBoy and then to her two downed emotions. She then looked at Raven again, without a word.

She reached down, softly lifting up BeastBoy's head off her lap, guiding him over towards Raven.

She shook her head frantically. "WHAT ARE…" Raven didn't like what she was seeing, struggling to keep her voice down.

Before Raven could object, her counterpart had laid BeastBoy's head gently in her lap, still asleep.

The emotion steadily got to her feet, still taking the utmost care to keep from waking him. She lightly bowed her head, gesturing with her hands to stay put, before she softly sprinted over the grass to make sure the other two emotions were all right.

Raven opened her mouth, but that was about the only option open to her. She couldn't move, she couldn't even yell after her to make idle threats. As before, if BeastBoy happened to wake up in such a 'compromising situation', it was bound to create more complications. As if there weren't enough to go around already. That, and she was still minus an explanation/apology. As she watched her emotion lengthen the distance between her, she slowly looked down.

There lay BeastBoy, sleeping just as soundly as he had been on her emotion's knees. Completely innocent of everything. It just took her longer to realize that, much to her embarrassment.

He stirred slightly, causing Raven to freeze, holding her breath. But he merely rolled his head to the side, his ear flat against her thigh, still sound asleep.

Raven gradually exhaled, shutting her eyes in relief. She reopened them, quickly scanning where her purple emotion had run off to, hoping she'd return quickly to relieve this burden on her lap. But from what she could tell, she was still seeing to Happy and Timid, and it was anybody's guess how long that could be.

Raven began to weigh her options. She could try to lift his head back onto the ground and tip toe away. But as edgy as she was, she feared she'd wake him for certain if she tried to move him. She was on pins and needles just from him adjusting his head. Imagine what the result of actually moving him would yield. She could just make a break for it, but that was out of the question. The only means she could quietly slip away at this point would be via her powers, and in spite of the fact that she felt considerably better, that didn't necessarily mean her powers would be void of any backlash effects like before. And with BeastBoy at such close proximity, she wouldn't jeopardize his well being a second time just so she could escape another personal dilemma.

Raven sighed.

There was no way around it. She was stuck.

"He dribbles so much as an ounce of drool on me," she quietly muttered to herself, "And so help me, I'll…"

She looked back down at the sleeping boy's peaceful expression. One of her emotions did have somewhat of a point. It was mildly… soothing. Except for the stress of him waking up, which the thought alone tied her stomach in knots.

Raven had said it herself. We all have ours faults. Hers was not being able to stay mad at him.

Quietly clearing her throat, Raven made quick sweeps with her eyes, scanning the area around her as if to verify she was alone. Upon finding no one in plain view, she shut her eyes forcing her neutral expression on her face, staring straight ahead, as she slowly guided her hand towards BeastBoy's head, gently skimming the surface of his hair while he slept. Maybe she was pretending she was meditating, or pretending that her hand grew a will of its own, but whatever the case, she continued to tenderly stroke the jade hair atop BeastBoy's head.

Pride can be such a foolish thing at times.

Back in Titan's Tower, BeastBoy wasn't the only one sleeping soundly. Cyborg remained asleep at the console, at least his organic half anyway. His cybernetic components were still running, merely in hibernation mode from his systems being idle for so long.

His nose twitched, his eyelid stirring. His electronic eye began to blink briefly before returning to a steady red glow. His systems began to hum vigorously, a sign that he was starting to come back online. His human eye slowly opened, just as the remaining circuitry all over his metal frame illuminated to their standard operational blue radiance.

"Aaaayyeeeeee-Ahhhhhhh" Cyborg yawned, stretching his arms, flexing his servos. "Man, musta' dozed off for a second there."

He pressed a switch on his forearm, which illuminated the current time on a digital readout.

"Scratch that. A whole lotta' seconds," he rubbed his head, feeling slightly embarrassed he'd dozed off from long keeping watch over his friends almost in stakeout fashion. It did seem kind of pathetic just how far he could be willing to go just to have fun at the expense of his friends.

A he pushed a few more keys, routinely checking his systems, making certain everything was running normally.

"Hope I didn't miss anything frame worthy," he said slyly.

He turned his attention to the console, pressing the button for the audio transceiver. "Oh Raven," he called merrily, hoping that Raven wasn't still holding a grudge. "Raven, this is your mechanical medical advisor. How's my favorite patients doin'?"

Cyborg released his finger from the button, awaiting a reply.

None came.

After a few seconds and no answer, Cyborg tried again. "Ok, Rae. Seriously, how ya feelin'? Doin' alright? Get ya anything?" he asked in a less whimsical tone, "Ya didn't kill BB did ya?"

He paused to await an answer.

No response.

"Raven?" he spoke, leaning in closer to the microphone, somewhat alarmed by the lack of snappy comebacks or sarcastic off the cut remarks, "B? Hey guys, c'mon. Everything okay in there?"

Still nothing.

Cyborg pulled away from the console, tapping a few buttons on his wrist, trying his communicator. The system he was using to look in on Raven was previously un-serviced for a long time, only recently put into use. Probably just on the fritz.

"BeastBoy? Raven?" he asked, concern growing. "Guys? Do ya read me?"

Still no answer.

Even if Raven or BeastBoy had their communicators on them, it would've been doubtful that their service plan included other dimensions.

Cyborg pressed another sequence of keys, bringing up the monitor on the console. Maybe they were just ignoring him. Incarceration in a confined space was not the ideal way to get on someone's good side after all.

The screen flickered briefly before displaying a rather distorted view of Raven's room. The image was so badly blurred it was difficult to tell just what Cyborg was looking at.

"What the…"

The screen on the inside of Raven's room was coated with such a thick layer of frost; it was a wonder that any image was received at all. That was when he happened to glance down that the thermostat gauge on the panel. Eighteen degrees, the equivalent of a walk-in refrigerator.

"Guys!"

Cyborg leaped backwards, turning and bolting out of the room at high speed. It didn't take long for him to sum up the situation. Worry quickly rose as he barreled through the thick steel doors like they were cardboard; knocking them aside, clean out of the doorframe.

He frantically keyed in buttons on his forearm, doing everything he could as he dashed for Raven's room. Near freezing temperature coupled with flu like symptoms did not bode well. He berated himself under his breath, trying to adjust the climate control functions of the room. But it was no good. The system wasn't responding.

"Aw man! C'mon!" he shouted, angrily smacking the panel on his arm, "What a time for a system lockup!"

Cyborg rounded the corner, the metallic treads on his feet skidding across the floor like fingernails on a chalkboard as he horizontally grinded, making the corner, and running straight down the corridor.

"Hang on B, Rae!" he shouted, clinging to the hope that they would be ok until he got there, "I'm comin'!"

Raven remained as she was. Still unmoving, still with BeastBoy dozing on her lap, but slowly, very slowly, had relaxed to some extent. Her previously tense shoulders eased, arms becoming less stiff, as she now almost subconsciously had adjusted herself.

What began as a faint skimming of her hand just barely above firm contact with BeastBoy's hair, had become a gentle brushing along his scalp, her fingers softly parting through his hair.

Still, she looked straight ahead, as if pretending to be unaware as to what her hand was doing. But that didn't stop her eyes from darting downwards for a millisecond at a time, as if somehow curious why this seemed to bother her less and less.

This was proving to be a most bizarre day. She had been sick of BeastBoy, then sick WITH BeastBoy, woken up in a completely different place than where she'd slept, tried to kill BeastBoy in one instant, in accusation the next, and now trying to figure out how she was going to own up to it while caressing his head while he slept. And the day wasn't even over yet.

Raven's train of thought was interrupted as the sound of footsteps caught her ear. She turned her head swiftly, alert, looking over her shoulder.

Her emotional doppelgangers collectively stood before her. Knowledge stood alongside Brave, who casually dusted off dirt from prior concealment among the bushes. Happy merely grinned, in spite of the sizeable lump on her forehead from careening into the energy wall. Timid was more fortunate, having only a minor bruise in contrast to Happy's injury just below her cheek, but as inhibited as ever, shyly dodging direct eye contact as she hung back behind the others. Anger looked off to the side, only acknowledging Raven with a shifty glance before looking away, silent and with a standard annoyed look to her. Perhaps the most worse for wear of the group was Rude, who'd most likely had been on the other end of a sound thrashing, as was evident by the tattered and torn condition of her cloak, barely hanging off her shoulders, complimenting a black eye. Almost embossed with Anger's signature as a result of her snide remarks earlier.

There was one absentee however. The mystery emotion from before, who'd put her in the spot she was in now. Raven scanned the group once more, verifying she wasn't just hanging back. She was nowhere to be seen. Brave and Knowledge were right. It seemed she did come and go.

She thought to ask, to at least be certain everything was all right. But then she remembered what the others had said earlier, while she was ducked down out of sight, monitoring her from afar. She was a less exercised emotion, which probably limited her stay in this realm of her mind. Through her powers, she could feel somewhere, deep in her thoughts that she was okay. And she could still picture that smile of hers.

Raven briefly wondered if it was even possible for her to smile like that. But she'd have to ponder that notion later.

Raven returned her attention back to the emotions that were present, eyeing each of them carefully, unable to tell at first glance if this was going to be something serious, or just another in a series of teasing jokes. It certainly wouldn't be difficult, considering the position she was in.

But save for Happy, there wasn't a smile of the lot of them. No smirks, no muffled giggles, not even a suggestive twinkle in their eyes. And considering it was an optimal atmosphere and situation, it meant whatever was on their minds, was serious enough.

Knowledge gave a somber look. "It's time," she said quietly.

Raven looked at the others.

"Yeah. Not that you've worn out your welcome or anything," Happy beamed, "But…"

"But metal head's gonna' break up the party real soon," Rude finished.

As pieces of Raven's persona, they were all in touch with her mystic intuition. It was an integral part of her meditation, which allowed her to determine when it was time for her to return from her mirror.

They were hinting that it was time for them to be on their way. Private jokes were one thing, but if Cyborg happened to arrive in time to see the two of them exiting the mirror, just the two of them, circumstances aside, it would make for difficult explanation.

'Are you ok?' he'd say. 'You sure you're alright?' At first, it would start out as honest concern, as they would expect from a friend like Cyborg. If Cyborg was at fault, of course the anxiety would be genuine. And then he'd probably close with a, 'Ya really had me worried there for minute.' Then, no doubt after the worry and concern pleasantries were at an end, the true Cyborg charm would follow suit. 'So what were you two doin' in there?' And so on, and so on.

Raven had been through enough for one day, and such spectacles of ridicule were un-called for at this point. As much fun as her counterparts had poked at her, they were not devoid of a sympathetic side.

Besides, if they used up all teasing and joking now, what would there be to look forward to next time she dropped by?

The sound of voices began to stir BeastBoy, his eyes slowly opening, coming around. "Huh…" he hazily mumbled, still half asleep.

The instant BeastBoy's voice caught Raven's ear, her eyes shot wide open, almost jumping to her feet, dropping his head hard against the ground with a clunk.

"Aagh!" BeastBoy cried, rubbing his head.

Raven quickly brushed herself off, straightening her cloak, trying to act casual.

BeastBoy shook his head, still regaining his where with all. The last thing he remembered was napping shortly after Raven's happy self had run off after Timid. He'd slept soundly the whole time, so he had no idea what had gone on up until now. Only that it was one of the most deeply peaceful sleeps he could remember.

BeastBoy looked up, his eyes slowly coming into focus. "Dude", he began, "I had the weirdest dream. I…"

Before he could continue, he looked up to find Raven's emotions in front of him. And Raven herself right out in front, looking down at him with a blank uncaring stare.

"YAH!" BeastBoy scooted back a few inches, hands up as if ready to block whatever he thought Raven had coming to him. Lest he forget, the last time he saw Raven she was ready to tear him limb from limb.

Raven's expression didn't falter. She was still a clean slate as far as her face was concerned. But she still couldn't think of what to say.

"R-Raven," he shakily began, "Now before you totally poof up a black hole just to throw me down it…" he verified that he had her attention and that she wasn't making any sudden moves for him, "… or… or pull my brain outta' my nose and mount it in a snow globe, or rip my…"

"Whoa, Beastie boy," Brave cut in, pushing past Raven. "Let's not go givin' out ideas that might come back to haunt ya."

"Yeah," Rude agreed. "Besides, she can't write that fast," she gestured to Anger who quickly hid a previously scribbled in notepad, snarling under her breath in response.

Happy trotted over beside BeastBoy, cheerfully assisting Brave in helping the green boy to his feet. Standing upright and doing his best to force an appreciative smile, Brave dusted off his shoulder as Happy mussed his hair.

Raven reluctantly took a step towards him.

Immediately, BeastBoy turned his attention back to her, politely nudging the emotions away, as if anticipating the worst. BeastBoy wasn't as visibly afraid as he was seemingly prepared to get it over with. To just take his punishment and move on. He was sort of used to this by now.

Even with the noblest of intentions, he'd still done the most forbidden thing in Raven's eyes, and that was to go into the one place he was explicitly told/warned not to go. He plainly knew he couldn't talk his way out of it, because there was nothing to talk out of. Realizing that, and resembling the most mature mindset he could muster, he just took a deep breath and braced himself.

Knowledge cleared her throat, pushing up her glasses, taking a step beside Raven. "BeastBoy," she said kindly, "I believe Raven has something to say to you."

Raven shifted her eyes to the side, scowling a bit towards her smart half for putting her on the spot.

Knowledge merely folded her hands.

Raven turned back to BeastBoy, expression returning to normal, and traces of uncertainty in her eyes.

BeastBoy swallowed hard. Hopefully it'd be quick.

"BeastBoy?" Raven began in deadpan fashion.

"Y…Yeah?" He merely blinked in response, his head drawing back.

"…"

The emotions leaned forward in anticipation.

Raven focused her eyes on him, slowly taking in air. "We're leaving," she said simply, walking past him.

BeastBoy looked straight ahead as she passed, waiting a few seconds to reluctantly turn his head.

"UGH!" The emotions groaned in unison at varying levels, all but Knowledge and Timid smacking their foreheads, feeling let down.

Knowledge looked sorrowfully at BeastBoy as his ears drooped, his shoulders dropping. He didn't look sad exactly, just heavy with remorse and regret. She wanted to say something, like how Raven wasn't mad, or how he'd done nothing wrong. But it wasn't her place to say. She had an obligation as a part of Raven's being. And if Raven couldn't bring herself to say anything, then neither could she.

She moved towards him, placing her hand on his shoulder. "Are you alright?" she asked kindheartedly.

BeastBoy turned to face Knowledge, smiling as big as he could, seeing his reflection in her glasses. "Yeah," he sighed. "Just seems stuff like this happens no matter what I do."

BeastBoy turned, trailing after Raven. Looking over his shoulder, he waved as he walked after her.

"So it would seem," Knowledge said to herself, waving back, Timid shyly steeping alongside her.

From behind, the other emotions waved in their own way as well. Happy flailing her arm wildly and Brave throwing a fist into the air. Rude gave a half wave, thumping her chest to compliment it with a belch. Anger too raised her hand, a quick flinch of the wrist as much as she was willing to give, before turning her back, arms folded, but watching out of the corner of her eye as he left.

"And for that, we're grateful," Knowledge concluded, lightly patting Timid on the back as she shyly waved her hand that just peeked through her cloak.

**BANG! BANG! BA-BANG! BANG!**

Cyborg pounded at the door to Raven's room, still hermetically sealed, still locked out of the system.

"Rae!" he shouted, "B! Can ya hear me? I'm comin'!"

Cyborg turned, pulling up a small metal bracket in the wall, revealing a keypad. An emergency override for the door. He punched a few keys, only to be met with a loud buzzing noise, signaling an error. He tried again, and again, each attempt more frantic than the last. He didn't know how long the climate control had been set to so low a temperature, but he plainly knew it wasn't good.

Still, the response was the same, a buzz following the last key stroke of each attempt.

"Ergh!" Cyborg gritted his teeth, pounding on the door once more. "Hang tight, y'all! I'm gettin' you outta' there!"

He balled up his metal fist. "Good thing I got a five knuckle lock pick," he said, determined to open the door, one way or another.

"Ee-yah!"

**WHAM! **

"Hoogh!"

**BAM!**

Cyborg took four steps back, digging his heel in, leaning forward, hand primed against the floor in football scrimmage fashion. He was prepared to plow right through, door, wall, supports and all.

"Haaaaaagh!" he yelled, beginning to charge, shoulder aimed squarely on the middle of the door like a battering ram, coming straight for it.

The door to Raven's room opened with a swish, BeastBoy and Raven standing side by side.

"Cy!" BeastBoy called, holding out his arms, signaling him to stop.

"Whoa!" Cyborg yelled, grinding his feet against the ground, screeching to a halt only millimeters from colliding with the two.

Raven and BeastBoy, previously braced for impact eased back to more relaxed standing positions.

"Guys!" Cyborg said, elated and relieved, "You're okay! Man, I was startin' to freak. I was checkin up on you two, and I dozed off. And just when I startin' cuttin' Zs, the thermostat went haywire. Yo, for a second I thought…"

"Checking up?" BeastBoy asked skeptically, something about that phrase not sitting well with him.

"Translation," Raven picked up, also keying to Cyborg's words, more aware of the situation than BeastBoy who had been asleep at the time when it all began, "He was screening our recovery for home movies."

The mystic and changeling's eyes focused intently on the mechanical man before them.

"Whoa now, hold on," Cyborg raised his hands up, "I think you're readin' too much into this. I was… uh… collecting data. Strictly medical purposes."

"Medical purposes don't dictate sealing patients in an enclosed space with faulty, outdated systems and equipment," Raven said calmly, yet menacingly.

Cyborg felt chills run down processor. "Ok, ok. I admit, I probably shoulda' checked the whole thing through more thoroughly before I sealed ya in. But you were sick, and I had to get ya quarantined right away," he explained, both admitting his faults and trying to save his cybernetic skin. "But the important thing is, you're okay. And… ya do look a lot better." He gave a nervous smile.

This much was true. Their skin pigmentation was back to normal and they both certainly looked a lot better than when they were first admitted.

BeastBoy felt his forehead. No headache, no fever, no nothing. He seemed back in the pink. Or rather, back in the green. "I guess so," he removed his hand. "Raven? Are you feeling okay?" he asked, unsure because he'd hadn't the chance to ask before.

Raven looked from BeastBoy to her hand, held up to eye level. She spread her fingers, making a quick swipe across the air.

**BONG!**

A telekinetic burst of black energy curved right into Cyborg, slamming him against the wall, a deep impression of his body imprinting the wall as he dropped with a loud clang of his metal components against the floor.

"It'll do," she said dryly, hiding a smirk, drawing a small measure of payback and verifying her powers were now functioning normally along with the rest of her.

BeastBoy smiled. "Great. Well…" he faked a yawn, starting to make quick pace for his room, "I guess I'll go turn in, been a long day, been real, been fun, gotta be goin'!" he said as fast as his feet were beginning to move, his words barely enough apart not to be jumbled together.

"NOT…" Raven called after him, a raven's talon composed of energy snaring him by the waist, stopping him dead, "…So fast."

BeastBoy's eyes were peeled wide, a sweat drop on his forehead amidst a petrified smile. He knew a clean get away would be too much to hope for.

Raven walked over, the energy talon dissipating, now standing right beside him. "I'll see you to your room," she said, eyes half open, looking straight ahead. "It's on my way to the kitchen. I'll have to kill some time until Cyborg makes repairs to my room, and raises it above arctic temperature." Raven glanced over her shoulder with a calm demeanor, intimidating without any effort whatsoever.

Cyborg, now rolled over onto his back gave an unsteady wave; gesturing to her it was taken care of with a tense grin.

Raven turned and began walking, BeastBoy pausing briefly before he followed timidly behind. He glanced back after a few steps at Cyborg, still in a heap on the ground. As bad as his friend looked, it was probably not nearly as worse as whatever Raven had in store for him as punishment for going inside her mirror. BeastBoy's head sank between his shoulders, still following only two steps behind Raven.

The walk to BeastBoy's room seemed like an eternity, at least from his perspective. Not a word was spoken. Raven never even so much as looked back at him as she walked casually down the corridor. The only consistent sound was that of their footsteps across the hard metal floor, which made BeastBoy even more tense, feeling as though he were walking towards his own freshly dug grave.

He tried his best to remain calm, but he'd known Raven long enough to anticipate what was still to come. When Raven was this quiet, it meant only one of two things. Either she was calm and in a serene state of mind, or she was just waiting for the opportunity to unleash a kind of displaced anger that would make a soccer riot seem like a tea party.

And he was fairly certain Raven was NOT in a serene state of mind.

BeastBoy seemed to shrink with every step, drawing ever closer to their destination.

He tried to think of something to say, but nothing eloquent came to mind. Just the standard 'Raven apology' he'd pretty much memorized to the letter. 'Really sorry, blah blah blah, I didn't mean – insert screw up here, blah blah blah, I'll never do it again.' Maybe it'd save time if he just had his own stationary.

Soon, he began to weigh other alternatives. Break away, run past her, bolt into his room, and barricade the door? No, no good. Raven'd snare like before the second he got into her field of vision. And even if he made it inside, Raven could teleport and phase through solid objects. Run the opposite direction and hope he could evade her, and make haste for Mexico? Nah. Raven could be pick up speed very quickly when she wanted to, and prior chases with her were less than convincing to make another attempt. Plus, BeastBoy couldn't speak Spanish.

Finally, to his dismay, they arrived at his room.

Raven stopped right in front of BeastBoy's door, BeastBoy himself freezing the instant she stopped, still just a few paces away.

BeastBoy stared at the back of Raven's head, expecting any minute for her to turn, eyes lit up, and to come straight for him. Final thoughts of making a last ditch effort to retreat were constant, but still BeastBoy held his ground, shakily but steadily.

Raven, turned. "BeastBoy…"

"DAH!" BeastBoy dropped to a knee, arms up in shielding fashion, slinking backward.

"…"

BeastBoy peeked back up at Raven, able to feel no immediate pain, nor hear any audible threats.

Raven merely stared down at the quivering green boy who was acting like a bomb was about to go off. "BeastBoy," she began with un-amused tone, "What are you doing?"

BeastBoy blinked, eyes darting from side to side. "Um…" he said, clearly at a loss. "Uh… OH! My knee!" he said franticly making use of his stance, holding his knee, feigning a pained expression, "M-My knee went out. Oh! Aaah!" BeastBoy plainly hobbled past her trying to sell it, "Oh, the pain!"

Raven rolled her eyes. Not BeastBoy's most convincing performance.

Never the less, he shuffled past her little by little, making his way for the door.

The door to his room opened with a swish.

BeastBoy's eyes lit up, hobbling slightly quicker. "No worries, Raven. I'll be okay. Just need to keep off it for a bit and I'm sure it'll be…"

Raven's hand shot out, palm against the frame of the door, barring BeastBoy's way.

"…Good as… new," he swallowed hard.

He looked over at Raven, retreat seemingly no longer an option.

Raven's head was down, eyes closed. "Just so you know," she began, "That was THE worst injury impression I have ever seen."

BeastBoy sighed.

Raven withdrew her hand, turning to face him, looking him square in the face.

"Well, guess ya can't win for losing, huh?" he tried to seem optimistic, standing up, slightly hunched over, still fearful. "Ok, then."

BeastBoy stood up straight, lifting his head to the side, looking up at the ceiling, and seemingly offering his face, his chin, his throat, and anything else she might want to take a swing at.

"Fire when ready," BeastBoy said calmly, nervously closing his eyes.

Raven raised her eyebrow. "What are you doing?"

"What's it look like?" he answered.

"Fighting a really bad crick in you neck or just letting what little blood that's actually circulating to your brain drain out," Raven wittily remarked.

BeastBoy rolled his eyes. "Oh, come on. Do I gotta spell it out for ya?"

"Hmmph," Raven gave a mock smirk, "You, spell. That'd be a first."

"Ugh!" BeastBoy slumped. "Come on. You're gonna' totally go postal on me and you know it. I'm just tryin' to get it over with," he straightened upright once more. "So, let'r rip."

Raven just looked at him trying to rule out if this was some new kind of joke or if he was actually serious. "BeastBoy," she grabbed his chin, hoisting his head to her direction.

"Whoop, here we go," BeastBoy shut his eyes, preparing for first strike.

"I'm not going to hit you," she said solemnly.

"Of course not," he replied, eyes still closed, "You're gonna' punish me. Or teach me a lesson. Or… or make me sorry. Or…" he listed off every aftermath remark from previous infractions with Raven.

"BeastBoy!" she shouted, tightening her grip around his chin, scrunching his cheeks.

BeastBoy went silent.

"Listen," she said calmly, "Don't speak. Listen."

BeastBoy nodded as best he could with Raven's fingers digging into the side of his face.

Raven exhaled slowly, releasing BeastBoy, returning her hand to her side. "While I appreciate you being forthcoming with me, and seemingly prepared to take what's coming to you…"

BeastBoy braced again, the mention of what he had coming to him sending him on high alert.

"…Now, is… not one of those times," she finished.

This time BeastBoy was the one raising an eyebrow confused.

"I'm not going to bore you with a complete list, nor am I fully aware of everything that went on in my mind today," she said firmly, crossing her arms, "But because you exercised… admittedly good judgment, and… protected and cared for me on more than one exchange today…"

BeastBoy tilted his head, more and more confused as it sounded like he was off the hot seat.

"… I'm about to do something I rarely ever do. Something of great personal sacrifice," she said nervously glancing up at the ceiling.

She turned towards BeastBoy, slowly meeting eyes with him. She took a deep breath.

BeastBoy looked as baffled as ever.

"…Thank you… BeastBoy," Raven said softly, eyes shifting off to the side.

It took a second for the concept of BeastBoy not being rendered unconscious to fully sink in, but relief steadily found its way to his nerves. "Oh… y-yeah. Sure," his signature goofy grin began to return. "I'm jus…"

Raven threw her arms around him, pulling him into brief hug.

Taken totally by surprise, BeastBoy froze.

It wasn't like Raven had never hugged him before. The last time she'd hugged him, it was following her heartbreak at the hands of that dragon in wizard's clothing, Malchior. But at the time, he'd mostly chalked it up to being in the moment. The 'right place at the right time' sort of scenario. After that kind of heartache, she most likely would've hugged the first person who came knocking. And who wouldn't?

It was just that this one seemed… different. This seemed more gratifying. More warmth. More… loving.

BeastBoy hesitantly began to lift his arms, seemingly to return the hug.

Just as his arms began to curl around her back, Raven released the hug, taking a step back, turning away. "Well then," she cleared her throat, "…Thank you."

Raven walked away towards the kitchen at a brisk pace, still leaving BeastBoy frozen in place.

He thought about calling after her, about asking what that was specifically for. But it seemed like every time BeastBoy questioned something he did right, he ended up getting treated like he did something wrong. So for once, he decided to leave it alone.

"So… does this mean no vicious beating?"

Sort of. But Raven was well out of earshot by then.

He just stood there, rubbing the back of his head, trying to put out the glow in his cheeks, still able to feel Raven's warm arms around him. "Dude," he said dreamily, "How do I know this isn't some wicked dream?"

**ZAP!**

He looked up, alerted by a noise above.

**CRASH!**

A delayed discharge of mystic energy fizzled overhead, cutting loose an overhead light panel, conking BeastBoy square on the noggin. After twirling in place dizzily from the blow to the head, he doubled over, flat on the ground.

"Oooh," he said hazily, hallucinating black birds flying around his head, "I woulda' settled for a pinch."

And with that, BeastBoy passed out on the floor.

**Next Chapter:** Raven's already been through a typical day with BeastBoy, and BeastBoy has survived a not so typical day inside Raven's mind. But how will those experiences compare to a night on the town? Spend some quality time, next time, as the both of them venture out of the tower.


	15. Tokens and Appreciation

**Quality Time**

**Chapter 15: Tokens and Appreciation**

Night had already fallen over the city. A calm and cool evening befell the normally bustling city streets by day. The sidewalks were vacant, only occupied by the low hum streetlights overhead. Save for the occasional passing of a car or two and the stirring of a stray alley cat between buildings, the night was a peaceful one.

**SPLASH!**

A scurrying figure darted down a narrow alleyway, stomping through a trickling runoff puddle. He ran lightly against the ground, attempting make as little noise as possible. A low panting from under his breath, darting from side to side of the alley, staying close against the wall.

He ducked behind dumpsters and any objects or openings large enough to conceal himself, pausing only for seconds at a time to catch what breath he could and scan the area on all sides before scurrying to next spot.

He sharply rounded the corner entering a side street, peering over his shoulder.

**CLANG!**

In haste to ensure he wasn't being followed, he hadn't turned in time to see the trash can on the corner, which he knocked over with a thick metallic clang that seemed to ring throughout the block. "Urgh!" he grumbled, partially for the blunder of drawing whatever attention the noise was sure to bring, partially on behalf of the fleeting soreness that grazed his knee from the sharp contact.

He came to a stop at the end of the alley, back against the wall. After a deep breath or two he peeked out from the corner to scout the wide-open street. Finding only a newspaper blowing like tumbleweed along the crosswalk, he sprinted once again across the street, leaping into the air halfway across, and tucking and rolling swiftly into the adjacent alley. Coming out of the roll on one knee, again keeping tight against the wall, he eyed the street once more and looked back on his prior location, ensuring he had avoided detection.

A small sigh of relief escaped, wiping the sweat from his brow.

Just then, only a short distance away he began to detect activity. Sound carried through the night air. Faint to be sure, but quickly coming closer. He narrowed his eyes, tuning up his ears to better calculate its position. It definitely registered as a voice as his mind plugged in all potential variables for how far away it was and how soon before it was on top of him.

He continued to listen, attuned to every aspect of the still approaching sound. Mentally calculating the rate at which it was continuing to advance, given by the distance, average speed the sound seemed to travel based on volume, rate of increased clarity of sound, and countless other honed calculations. It wouldn't be long before it was bearing down on him.

A breeze picked up, as if a starting pistol had gone off, signaling it was time for him to be mobile once more. He didn't need to stick around to confirm visually what he already knew was coming.

He dashed down the alley, disappearing into a thick cloud of steam from a grate below, only rapid light footsteps vaguely heard down the passageway ushered his departure.

Hardly a few seconds later, back in the open street, another figure came into view just a short distance above the ground surveying the area.

"Robin," she called, her head twisting from left to right, her eyes like emerald green spotlights looking in every direction as she floated past the overhead lights. "Robin!"

Starfire had been persistently looking for him for some time now. She didn't know why he'd taken off so abruptly, or why he hadn't made herself and the others aware of where he was going. Some form of secret training perhaps? A dangerous undercover assignment maybe? Following up on a lead or gathering information in his usual earthly detective manner?

Certainly not much of a stretch for Robin to seclude himself, and he did usually accomplish whatever he set out to do alone anyway. But, even he knew better than to take unreasonable or unsound risks on his own. Whatever the reason, she just had to be certain that he was all right.

Starfire gave a nod to herself, her resolve renewed, rounding the intersection to patrol the next block for any sign of her elusive friend.

oOoOoOo

The sun had risen a few hours later, christening the morning as the doors to the main room of Titans Tower swished open. In walked Beast Boy, in a less than expected, chipper mood for such an early start to the day. Usually, Beast Boy was dead last to rise in the morning, closer to just before noon as his usual routine. And even then, he would typically be groggy and still half asleep. But, here he was out of bed in a fresh change of uniform, eyes wide and smiling from ear to ear. Having slept so frequently from prior events pertaining to both being sick and the escapades in Raven's room and in her mirror, he was surprisingly refreshed.

He stretched his arms over his head. "Eeeeee-yah," he grunted with a smile, his muscles loosening. It wasn't often he was this awake this early. It was surprisingly pleasant as opposed to shielding his eyes from natural light, hunched over, and dragging his feet after an all night video game habit. Not to mention not having to grumble at everyone else as they talked about what a beautiful day it was when he was barely able to distinguish objects in such a dazed state.

But, today was different. The sun was shining, and as far as he could tell, he had the whole main room to himself. Cyborg wouldn't be showing up anytime soon, having to make repairs to Raven's room following yesterday, on top of the backlogged repairs that were still required as a result of the storm days ago. And since he didn't see Starfire or Robin around, he knew one wouldn't be here without the other. He moved past the kitchen, sauntering towards the couch.

He leaped over the back, bouncing slightly on the cushions, reclining in optimum TV watching position. He lifted one leg over the over, resting one hand behind his head. He thrusted his other hand palm first into the couch cushion which flung the remote control up into the air just enough for it to land softly in his hand. With a flick of the wrist, he pushed the power button, turning on the TV to indulge in the (up until now) elusive morning cartoons.

"Oh yeah," he mused to himself, "I got it goin' on." It figured the only time he was able flawlessly act cool was when no one was around to verify it.

"Uugggggggggghhhhhhhhhh," came an eerie groan.

Beast Boy sat up straight, fairly alarmed by such a chilling sound.

"What the?" he blinked, looking down beside the TV at the Game Station console, "I… didn't think I left Zombie Slayer on."

The light at the top of the system was off, verifying the game console was indeed not switched on.

"Urrrrrrrggggggghhhhhhh," the noise came again.

Beast Boy swallowed hard with an audible gulp. "I didn't," he choked.

Eyes peering to the side, he turned slowly as if living out a role in a horror movie. And if memory served, he dreaded this as the scene where some unspeakable horror popped up and devoured his brain.

As Beast Boy's head turned, he came nose to nose with a pale, haggard looking zombie with the deepest blood-shot eyes staring right back at him.

"YAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHH!" BeastBoy leaped backwards, falling flat on his back. "Please don't eat me!" he pleaded, curling into a quivering ball with one hand held out as if hoping to hold the monster at bay.

"Mmmmmmmm, BeastBoy?" came a dull grumble.

BeastBoy popped his eyes open, cautiously looking back up.

There, sitting on the couch, was Raven. Or at least a dreary, shriveled husk of her former self. She was hunched over with the posture of a candy cane. There were dark circles around her eyes, which only served to highlight the deep red veins arcing around her pupils. Portions of her hair were stuck to the side of her head, while others were curving upwards in all directions. Either Raven had a less than peaceful night, or she was getting into the Halloween spirit early. And it was common knowledge Raven was less than a holiday spirited person.

"Isn't it a little early for you to start being obnoxious?" she said lazily, rubbing her eyes, struggling to keep them open. "Usually, you don't become brainless until eleven."

"Oh, Raven," he said with a sigh of relief, starting to get to his feet. "I thought you were a hideous, brain-sucking ghoul."

Raven stared in her usual deadpan manner, though it would be hard to tell at a cursory glance given her present appearance.

"Um…." BeastBoy fumbled with his words, trying to recover the previous sentence, "N-Not to say t-that's a bad thing."

"Ugh," she hardly paid any mind, too tired to even raise an eyebrow in spite. She'd come to expect certain degrees of absent-mindedness in Beast Boy, and while it had both its ups and its downs, she was just too drained to drag it out any further.

"Uh… queen of the undead?" he grinned nervously, attempting to twist his prior remark to a less vile, more flattering description.

"Even brain-eating zombies would pass for living over me right now," Raven slumped back against the couch, not even taking any offense to the remark, only guessing how she looked after the kind of night she had. "Not that they'd bother eating 'your' brain. No zombie is THAT big on indigestion."

"Heh," he gave a weak chuckle, "Well, ya can't be that bad if you can still knock my noggin." BeastBoy grinned, knocking on the side of his head as if signifying he was expecting it to sound hollow.

Raven simply lay on the couch like a pile of laundry.

"Seriously though, you don't look so good," he downplayed the humor.

"Good observation," Raven mumbled as her eyes drooped.

"How'd ya sleep?" he inquired, curious if the flu had somehow resurfaced.

Raven somehow mustered the energy to turn her head towards him, as if visually pondering why he need even ask. "Like a baby," she said dryly. "A baby on a bed of rusty nails and broken glass."

"Eeeesh," BeastBoy gritted his teeth as if visualizing Raven's simile. "That bad, huh?"

Raven shut her eyes, as it used less energy than nodding.

"How come? You're not gettin' sick again, are you?" he asked with a tilt of his head.

"I wish. Being sick at least naturally weakens you to where sleep isn't a problem. If that were the case, I'd have been conked out well into the afternoon," she answered, not bothering to open her eyes.

"So…" BeastBoy began, "Why then? Bad dreams? Somethin' on your mind?"

"No," she said simply. "It's just…"

Raven couldn't really figure it out either. She just hadn't stopped thinking about the entire ordeal in her mirror, at least the parts she was awake for. Her mind was racing all night, and if she had to sum it all up in one word, guilt. But never guilt like this.

Certainly not a new sensation, even for Raven, as she had already experienced her fair share when she'd first blown up at Beast Boy, causing him to revert into a blank slate of his former self. A few other occasions in the past came to mind as well, but she'd never lost much sleep over it. Not a whole night anyway. This was somehow different.

Granted, she wrongfully accused Beast Boy of going into her mirror for infantile purposes to relieve boredom; that, she could get over. She threatened Beast Boy's life; wouldn't be the first time nor the last. But what was really eating her up inside was how she couldn't get past her own inability to conceive the possibility that Beast Boy had a good reason for his actions. Against Beast Boy's word, and against her own emotional counterparts who defended him, she still questioned his character. As if she was so sure of herself that she would disregard everything she knew about him. As if she'd betrayed him somehow. She never felt so low.

"It's just…"

BeastBoy leaned forward slightly in anticipation and slightly concerned.

"…This couch," her eyes darted to the side, "Not the most comfortable thing to sleep on. And with my room in shambles I was stuck here till Cyborg fixes it."

Okay, NOW she never felt so low.

BeastBoy blinked. "Oh, well I guess that makes sense," he smiled in relief, "Funny, I woulda' bet anything comfy enough to play Game Station on woulda' been cozy enough to doze on. Live and learn."

Raven's face shriveled slightly. BeastBoy's willingness to believe her deepening the guilt. BeastBoy had more than likely fallen asleep from his long gaming sessions or movie marathons on the couch once or twice. He had to have known the couch was perfectly fine. Or he might've even questioned why a sleeping surface would make any difference to someone who could levitate in mid air for hours on end. Granted, she was probably assuming too much of BeastBoy on account of her state of mind, searching for a way he could doubt her to the same extent she had doubted him. But she knew she was only fooling herself. And she also knew that sometimes, he could be even more innocent than Starfire.

BeastBoy had walked over to the closet, rounding up extra pillows while Raven had been deep in thought.

"Maybe ya just need a little more snoozing power," he fluffed two hefty pillows as he made his way back over to the couch.

"That really isn't necessary", she attempted to sit up, but didn't budge more than an inch away from the couch before sinking back against the cushions. Her whole body felt like one giant anchor; she was so exhausted.

"Oh yeah?" BeastBoy playfully inquired as he laid the pillows on the end of the couch. He walked around to the back of the couch behind Raven. "TIMBER!" he called out like lumberjack, bringing his index finger gently to the side of her temple. With only a tiny nudge, Raven toppled over like a tree, her head landing softly against the pillows.

As before, Raven was minorly annoyed but too tired to show it as she just stared aimlessly.

"Come on, Raven. Unless you plan on getting to know the floor better or meditate through snoring, you need to catch some serious Zs," BeastBoy smirked, knowing she couldn't argue even if she wanted to.

Raven lifted her head, but the pillows were practically calling to her. She couldn't keep her head raised more than six seconds before finally giving up and collapsing against the soft clouds of slumber beneath her.

"Beast Boy…" she said weakly, now struggling to keep her eyes open, "I know you've probably got the day planned…"

"Nah," he shrugged, "Nothin' special. I was probably just gonna' beat Zombie Slayer for like the bajillionth time and maybe hassle Cy while he fixes your room." BeastBoy walked to the opposite end of the couch, taking a seat and leaning back. "But a quick nap works too."

"I meant you could go without me," she said.

BeastBoy looked at her funny. "And welch on the bet? No way," he folded his arms behind his head, "Cy's not gettin' off that easy." A mental image of Cyborg cleaning Beast Boy's room projected itself in his mind. He visualized Cy on his hands and knees, scrubbing brushes strapped to his knees with a broom in hand. He was trying to sweep under the bed when, all of a sudden, a giant muck monster built of Beast Boy's laundry, comic books, and discarded pizza boxes sprang from underneath the bed, swallowing him whole. The thought burst, giving Beast Boy a devious chuckle.

Raven rolled her eyes, not wanting to know what he was thinking. But then, how could she even understand what 'Beast Boy' was thinking.

"Besides," he said proudly, "I got the gift when it comes to sleep. And it never hurts to spread it around."

"I'll vouch for that. Listening to you is enough to put me to sleep," she said with a hint of a sarcastic smile.

"Hey, you're supposed to be tired," he pretended to be annoyed, "Now, come on. We're havin' a lazy day here. You gonna' count all the ways to make fun of me or are you gonna' count sheep?" Beast Boy morphed into a sheep, letting out a 'BAAAHHHHHH'.

Raven couldn't hold out anymore. She still felt guilty, and she knew she had actions to make up for. At the very least, she had to thank him for sticking it out with her, but she was just too tired. Her head melted into the pillow entering a deep slumber. The night's lack of sleep hit her full swing. She was out like a light.

Beast Boy morphed back to human form, a warm smile on his face.

But now, he had a new problem. He slept most of the previous day and all through the night. He'd even woken up early as a result of abundant sleep.

"Well, I got so much sleep already" he began with a small sigh, "Don't know if it'll do much good, but… I suppose I should at least try to-ZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZ,"

He was in dreamland before he could even finish his own sentence, quickly rolling over which ended with him taking a spill onto the floor without so much as waking him for an instant. Let that be a lesson. Never underestimate a professional sleeper.

oOoOoOo

Elsewhere across town, someone else was adapting to a situation of their own.

Robin scurried along rooftops deep in the business district high above the city streets. He jumped from building to building, easily clearing most. No particular route to follow, nor predetermined destination, changing direction periodically, bounding from building to building.

He was closing fast on a sizeable gap between the current building he was on and the high-rise out in front of him, the ledge in sight giving way to a twenty to thirty foot gap between the two structures.

He didn't slow his pace, rather lowering his head and picking up more speed. He jumped forward just an inch short of the end of the ledge, pulling a grappling hook from his utility belt as he started to feel himself dip downward into the sky. With a loud pop of compressed air, the grappling hook sprang from the launcher, snagging on a thick chunk of concrete along the rim of the roof. Robin swung to the side, picking up a bit of momentum before pressing the retract button on the side of the launcher picking up altitude as he coasted upward. He shot straight up, clearing the roof, the grappling hook loose from the ledge as he tucked his body into a roll. He landed swiftly on the roof of the building, his arm out to side as the grappling hook fully retracted into the launcher with a sharp click.

Quickly, he then ducked behind an access shed, catching his breath, scouting the area before moving out into the open again.

Robin had been at this so long, he could scarcely remember why he was running in the first place. And every time he tried to think more clearly about why he was on the move, Starfire would come into earshot, and he'd be up and running once more. All he knew was he had already exhausted all of his contingency hideouts and safe houses. He was nearly out of places in the city to go, let alone hide.

Robin just shook his head. He was at his wits end.

As if on cue, Starfire's voice became audible, causing Robin to pull back with his back flat against the wall.

After a second or two to collect his thoughts, he peered out from behind the shed. Sure enough, four buildings away, Starfire ascended upwards, holding just a few feet above the rooftops, scanning the streets below before eyeing the nearby rooftops. Quickly, Robin ducked back behind the shed before her eyes could sweep in his direction.

"Robin," she called out.

He swallowed with a gulp, fearing he hadn't pulled back in time and that she had spotted him.

"Robin," Starfire called out once more.

There was a short pause.

"Robin."

To his relief, Starfire's voice sounded like she was moving away. Robin shimmied to the edge of the wall, hesitant, but peeking out one eye from behind the shed once more. Starfire was indeed still above the buildings but slowly drifting forward, continuing her search as she scanned the ground below.

He let out a brief sigh of relief as he took two steps backward, anxious to put distance between himself and his relentless pursuer. Robin pulled a bird-a-rang from his utility belt, tying a long strand of grappling cable around it, preparing to use it to drop down into the alley below. He would have to repel down against the wall as the high rise was too far up to simply jump down, and the grappling hook would give him away as the hook discharge would make too much noise and would be easily recognized by Starfire.

With a flick of the wrist, Robin hooked his line around a secure ventilation grate, giving a brief tug to insure the line was stable. He leapt onto the rooftop ledge, giving just enough slack on the line. He fell backwards, the cable tightening, as his feet landed firmly on the side of the building. He leaned back quickly again, double-checking the hold on the line, looking downward as he bent his knees preparing to repel further down.

"Robinnn-hn"

He stopped cold. The voice was still clearly a fair distance away, none closer than before, but something registered to his attuned ears.

"Ro-obiin"

Carefully, Robin pulled himself up barely peering over the top of the ledge. Starfire was still moving away, but her calls for him were becoming more hoarse. Fainter, her voice somewhat cracking. After all, for as long as he'd been running, she had been searching. Her throat must've been aching by now from continuous pleas of his whereabouts.

It didn't take a trained deductive mind like his to pick up the now concerned worry in her voice. But, it did reinforce the sorrowful look in her eyes. It was like coiling barbed wire around his gut. Robin shut his eyes for a moment, breathing deep before letting out a long sigh as he hoisted himself back up onto the roof. He couldn't allow this to go on any longer.

He walked plainly out into the open, undoing the grappling line and securing it into his belt. Robin was trained in hand to hand combat from various styles the world over, a proficiency rating with just about every hand held projectile, and versatile with an extensive array of melee based weaponry. Still no countermeasure for a Tamaranean warrior princess calling out his name, on the verge of tears.

A brief wave of relief washed over him, though for how long it would last remained to be seen. It wouldn't be long before Star spotted him.

oOoOoOo

Some time later at Titan's Tower, despite a somewhat shaky start, Raven continued to sleep soundly. It was now just past the afternoon hours as she began to stir from her slumber. Though only a few hours, the sleep had been a deep one and had already done much to rejuvenate her complexion as well as her mood. While much still droned on in her mind, buzzing back and forth between recent events, she felt more objectified, more focused without her eyes heavy from exhaustion. She still was unsure of how to feel and about what to do. And guilt still persisted in the deepest recesses of her mind, but at least she could now think clearly and calmly.

Her eyes slowly peaked open, quickly slamming shut again as the sun shone brightly through the windows. She wanted to keep sleeping, though she knew if she did she'd probably be wide awake come night time, and the whole process would repeat itself. She had slept enough to function for the day via her nap and was now reluctantly certain she could carry on.

Raven rolled over, hiding from the bright sky, closing her eyes once more.

Well… another five or ten minutes couldn't hurt.

"Mmmmm," she gave a low content sigh. It was strange. Raven had never been the kind of person to prefer sleep in the early hours; though granted, the circumstances were exceptional. She just nestled deeper into sleep, unaware of how warm and comfortable the couch could really be. Though to someone as tired as she had been, she probably would've found sleeping on a jagged rock under a waterfall peaceful.

She opened her eyes again now that certain she was no longer facing the windows, blankly staring at the couch a moment before closing them again to resume a brief nap.

"_Strange…"_ Raven thought, _"I didn't think the couch was this spacious."_

She'd rolled over without even grazing the back cushions of the couch. Raven merely shrugged it off, but she did want to make sure she wasn't teetering on the edge and risk falling off, spoiling her rest.

Raven blindly reached forward, attempting to gauge the distance to the back of the couch. After a few empty grabs and finding nothing, Raven's eyes slowly opened. As she stared at the couch and its empty cushions, she closed them once more.

…

Raven's eyes opened again, confused, as something failed to compute in her mind. She could see right to the edge of the cushions in full view.

The couch was empty.

"_So, then what am I slee…"_ Raven's thought stopped as one possibility came to mind, her eyes growing wider before shutting tightly. _"Please don't be green. Please don't be green,"_ she mentally chanted as she looked down.

A large patch of thick lime green fur.

Raven lifted her head to the side finding Beast Boy, asleep, on the floor, lying on his stomach, in the form of a large bear. Not an uncommon sight; where as most people tossed in their sleep, BeastBoy would sometimes shift forms. Raven must have rolled off the couch at some point, but hadn't realized it due to the size of his form being at equal level to the couch. As if things weren't awkward enough for her.

"I should've known the couch wouldn't have been so warm," she whispered to herself. Raven slapped a hand over her mouth as if to retract the statement, as well as the blush in her cheeks. "I mean comfortable." Raven thudded her hand against her head, "I mean…"

The bear let out a low growl-like yawn, stretching its neck.

In a panic, Raven leaped off, knocking over the couch.

**THUD! WOMP!**

With two thuds, one for the couch, one for Raven tumbling off, it was obvious her dismount was less than subtle. Not to mention noisier. Raven rubbed her bottom, briefly sore from the couch having tossed her in somersault to the floor. "Ergh" she grumbled.

The bear's lumbering frame began to rise off the floor.

Raven had little time to act. With a quick wave of her hand black energy engulfed the couch, lifting it upright once more. Just as the field dissipated she leaped over the back, resuming sleeping position, rolling over to face away from Beast Boy. She raised her head for only a second peeking over to verify he was waking up before quickly turning back, hoping he'd be none the wiser.

The green bear leaned back, sitting up with his paws out. In an instant, its once hefty size began to deflate as Beast Boy returned to human form. "Eeeeeeyyyaaaahhh," he yawned, stretching out his arms, scratching under his chin.

Raven slowly sat up, acting as if to be just waking up herself. "Aaaahhhhmmm," she faked a yawn, pretending to rub the sleep from her eyes.

BeastBoy turned, leaning on his side. "Hey, Raven," he beamed with a smile, maintaining his still chipper demeanor, "Feel any better?"

Raven acted as if still in a post sleep daze, keeping her eyes only partially open. " I feel… better," she replied simply.

"Well, you do look a lot better," he tilted his head, scanning the features of her face. The absence of bloodshot eyes, dark circles, or any other visible signs of insomnia was very reassuring.

"I'll still need a full night's sleep," she said in a dull tone, "But… I feel rested. Provided my room is returned to livable soon, I believe I can make it through the remainder of the day."

"Great," he got to his feet. "Hopefully, Cyborg'll have your gloom… uh… room, all fixed up by the time we get back."

"Back?" she said, ignoring that last remark about her room, "From where?"

"Just… out."

"Out?" She repeated.

"Yeah, you know, as in… out, out. As in, farther than inside the tower, but less than the city limits."

Raven merely raised an eyebrow, the first sign that she was truly awake and back to her usual self.

Beast Boy's shoulders drooped. "Look, there hasn't been any trouble, and we've been cooped up around here for WAY too long. Robin and Star are who knows where, and Cy is off playing Borg the Builder," he listed on his fingers, "So… I was thinking…"

"Figures that would only happen while you sleep," she mused at the idea of brain activity.

"C'mon, I'm serious," BeastBoy said, "And please don't follow-up with, 'Now there's a first,' or 'Seriously in need of intellect.'"

BeastBoy was serious. He was filling in sarcastic knocks on himself. Raven just looked at him, ceasing any further remarks even though Beast Boy had already beat her to them.

"Just an hour or two," he proposed. "Ya can't tell me you don't need a change of scenery every once in while."

Raven shifted her head to the side looking down at the floor. "I don't know, BeastBoy. I…"

"I know, I know," he cut her off, "You like to keep inside unless we're bustin' bad guys or something comes up. And I know out in public isn't really your thing, especially around me…"

Raven looked up at him. "BeastBoy…"

"And I know you've only 'just' got some sleep, and you get easily annoyed even when you've had a good eight hours," BeastBoy was now pacing back and forth, talking faster and faster, "But I thought, ya know, since your room was bein' fixed, and I'm ready to climb the walls cause I'm so wide awake which usually only happens after I've had a couple bottles of soda in me, I could really use a little down time. Ffffffffffffffffffffgh," he gasped, sucking up oxygen to compensate for how fast he was talking, just before he fell over with a clunk. "So, what do ya say?" he queried before his head fell back against the floor to catch his breath.

Raven looked off to the side. BeastBoy had made many valid points, both pro and con. True, Raven preferred the comfort zone of her room, but it was currently in disrepair. She was also not keen on many places in the public eye that might draw unwanted attention to herself, but close proximity to BeastBoy would almost assuredly keep all eyes on him. And it did seem unfair that the others were free to come and go as they pleased with no such restrictions as the two of them. And above all else, bet or no bet, BeastBoy was still a normal teenager (though it would be one the last things she would ever admit). Better still, as socially inept as Raven was, it did do her good to come out of her shell every so often. Being around BeastBoy alone was proof of that.

The two of them had made great strides thus far in balancing one another's lives between themselves. At the very least, it would be a learning experience. At the most, it might help to alleviate some of that previously mentioned guilt still pooling in the back of her mind.

"Alright," she said plainly.

BeastBoy's head rose up as if brought back from the dead. "Really?" He sprang to his feet, hoping he hadn't heard wrong. "Y-you'll go? Outside the tower? With me?"

You'd have thought he was asking like he was contaminated with some deadly contagious virus. Though considering how he kept his room, she couldn't completely dismiss that possibility.

Raven gave a short nod.

BeastBoy's eyes lit up, grinning from ear to ear. "ALRIGHT!" he jumped, throwing a fist into the air. Upon landing, without even thinking, he threw his arms around Raven in a brief hug, so caught up in the excitement of getting out of the tower for a while. He then proceeded to do one of his iconic dances, typically reserved for whatever tawdry moment of glory he won over Cyborg at video games. "Oh yeah, uh huh, get back," he seemed to sing to the beat playing inside his head, "The lean green machine is makin' the scene!"

Raven could only watch, frozen to the spot almost in a blank-eyed stare. Not something she'd never seen before just… caught off guard from BeastBoy hugging her. She shook her head, quick to come out of it, accrediting it to him just being caught up in the moment. She was certain that freedom from any confined space after such excitement, chore detail, and all other accompanied experiences would make anyone excitable. Not as if it had been unpleasant anyway.

"Just remember," Raven added as he concluded his final pirouette of joy, "This is not to be an all-nighter." She was keenly aware of BeastBoy's occasional late night, almost nocturnal habits. "We do still have to be awake during the day in the event of…"

"Yeah, I know, I know. In case some dude wants to knock over a bank, or loot a jewelry store, or wedgie a crossing guard," he said, more than attentive to the broad range of activity the city was known for. "No late night, no argument, promise," he said seriously but still with the smile that hadn't left his face.

He glanced up at the clock, showing it was now close to six in the afternoon. The sun was already starting to set in the distance, which was fine by him, as it only heightened the city's atmosphere, as lights were already beginning to switch on across the bay.

BeastBoy glanced down at his uniform. "Better change first," he brushed the material on his chest and sleeves. Even only a few hours of sleep had wrinkled his uniformed beyond notice. He took off towards the door, but came to a stop after only a few steps. "Oh, if Cyborg pops in before I get back, tell him I had to use the bathroom or something." He had to make sure the bet was honored.

"And what if you're gone longer?" Raven said uncaringly, arms folded.

"Tell him I did something to tick ya off without thinkin', and you flushed me down the toilet or somethin'," he grinned before running through the main doors.

"Foolproof," she said sarcastically as the doors swished behind him, out of earshot.

Raven lifted her arms, looking from sleeve to sleeve of her uniform. BeastBoy wasn't the only one in need of a fresh change of clothes. In all the excitement and sleeplessness of events past, she had now been almost two straight days in the same uniform. Her hair was also still curled every which way from the restless night before, feeling slightly greasy.

She walked towards the main door to follow BeastBoy's example. Perhaps also a quick shower. Not that the occasion really warranted her to look her best. The day was almost over, but she should get into some fresh clothes and clean up a bit, even if she was just going out with BeastBoy.

Raven paused just as she got out into the hallway.

'Going Out… With BeastBoy'

Even out of context and absent of any real meaning, her posture straightened with a slight chill as the doors shut behind her.

oOoOoOo

Thirty minutes later, the main room doors opened once more as Cyborg trudged in. He had just finished the repairs on Raven's room, refitting the last access panel not mere moments ago. What began as a mere patch job quickly became a total overhaul. In order to get at the climate controls for Raven's room, he had to bypass all the other previously unused and un-serviced systems. All of which had to be inspected, re-worked, or removed. All the while thawing the circuit boards and wiring, which were frozen solid as he went. But the important thing was that the job was done. Raven's room was now restored, all systems connected to it were up and running at normal efficiency, and it was on its way back to room temperature.

He almost fell over into the couch, causing the supports to creak. His circuits gave a low hum, the typically bright blue radiance emitting from his cybernetic components a dull glow of their standard functioning. His electronic eye blinked a few times, signaling his overall systems efficiency rating below normal. He slowly raised his arm to deactivate it, ceasing the blinking with a push of button on his forearm, before sinking back against the couch.

"Ughhhhhhh," he said somewhere between a groan and a yawn. "Man, if I see another circuit breaker again, it'll be too soon."

Overworked was an underestimation. And of course, there was still the backlog of repairs from the storm days ago he hadn't even begun. On top of all that, his regular inspection and maintenance of the Tower's main systems was starting to go unchecked as well, which he plainly knew, wearing down his systems even more. At this rate, he was going to need a jumpstart just to get out of bed if this kept up.

He shut his eyes to rest a moment, letting out a sigh of exhaustion. At least, it had been a smooth workload without interruption. He couldn't think of what would've been worse: Beast Boy heckling him while he worked, or Raven bearing down on him to make him move faster. What if together at the same time?

One of Cyborg's circuits briefly sparked internally as if to shudder on behalf of his logic circuitry.

"Maybe puttin' those two together wasn't such a hot idea after all," he cracked to himself, eyes still shut.

The main room doors opened with a swish.

"Hey, Cy," BeastBoy greeted. "I take it that if you're here, then Raven's room isn't a time share for penguins anymore," he grinned.

"Well, I'm not pickin' icicles off my armor plating if that's what ya mean. But man, you wouldn't believe what I had to…"

Cyborg barely cracked an eye at first but opening fully once he actually got a look at his green friend. Beast Boy was dressed in alternative attire. Nothing too drastic, but seeing Beast Boy in his uniform was so common, even when not training or battling criminals, to see him wearing anything else was quite a rare occurrence. He wore a short sleeve t-shirt, a similar if somewhat darker shade of purple than his uniform and slightly baggy black denim jeans. Usually his outfit of choice for one key locale in the city, which Cyborg plainly knew. It was his ensemble when he wanted to just feel like a regular, non-super powered individual. They all lived as Titans first, heroes second, and teenagers last, so it did him good to see his friend and teammate break the norm once in a while.

"Goin' somewhere?" he asked as if he was none the wiser with a small smirk.

"Like you couldn't guess," Beast Boy responded.

Cyborg opened his mouth to speak, finger raised.

"And yeah, Raven's coming too," he finished.

Cyborg promptly shut his mouth, slumping back in the couch, almost pouting. He was hoping it'd slipped his mind and was trying to sneak away, leaving him to gloat. He was still keenly aware of the stakes of this wager.

"Probably a short night then, huh?" Cyborg mused.

"Maybe, but at this point I could really care less," he shrugged in response with a smile. "I'm just grateful to be gettin' outta' the tower for a while."

"Been feelin' a little distant from the rest of the world?" Cy asked.

"If by distant, ya mean too far from the arcade for too long, then yeah. Totally." He tightened the laces on his shoes. "I mean, hangin' around here, with no bad guys runnin' loose is great and all. But after a while… lameness starts to kick in."

Cyborg gave a nod. "Yeah, I suppose there is such a thing as too much down time. Not that I would know," he muttered under his breath at the still large to do list occupying his time.

Beast Boy walked past him, loosening the collar of his shirt. Suddenly, Cyborg's nose perked up, detecting something in the air. Or to be more accurate, something NOT usually present around the vicinity of Beast Boy.

"Uh, B?" he said with a few sniffs, "I don't wanna' offend ya, but… you smell… clean."

Beast Boy just glared at him.

But it was true. Beast Boy usually had some sort of mild, passive funk about him that wouldn't be picked up unless he was up close. Mostly, the smell of a three-day-old uniform that hadn't been aired out when he worked up a sweat. Nothing overly smelly, just enough to hint at a less than spotless living environment, if his room could even be called that. But today, it was absent.

"Hold up," Cy got up from the couch to take closer look, tuning up his electronic eye undergoing an extensive optical scan as it glowed red. "You ARE clean." His eye beeped. "Your clothes are fresh," deducing the lack of wrinkles. He pried opened the changeling's mouth, peering inside at the absence of underlying tofu smell, showing they'd been freshly brushed, "Your breath is stank free." He closed his mouth, taking a close inspection through his hair as if he were searching for fleas, "Even your dandruff's been dry cleaned."

Beast Boy pulled himself free, annoyed. "Dude, personal space."

Cyborg half smiled, mildly impressed but still surprised. He'd never seen Beast Boy this clean this late in the day, not even in the latest of mornings. He must've really been glad to get out. "This wouldn't happen to be on account of a certain someone goin' with ya, would it? Ya know, kinda' pale, dresses in blue, makes flingin' your green butt a spectator sport," he teased.

Beast Boy just looked at him, raising an eyebrow as if borrowing from Raven's arsenal.

"I'm just sayin'," he held up his hands, leaning down to even the height differential, "I'm honestly surprised she agreed to go with you."

He just blinked in response.

"Dude, I know you've got chips for brains, but I think they've finally gone stale," he knocked on Cyborg's head with a clang. "You were the one who made this bet. She's gotta' stick around me, remember? Plus…" his smile faltered, "I… didn't exactly tell her where we were goin'." He grinned nervously.

"Oh," he smiled slyly, highlighting the flaw in his plans. "That explains, the total mess to dress overhaul," he tugged on a piece of fabric from Beast Boy's shirt.

He swatted the metal hand away. "Only a little," he smoothed the material, "I figured if Raven's gonna' have to be seen with me, I may as well look half normal."

"And by normal, you mean less you?" he smirked.

"And besides, you know I always look this good whenever I hang out at my fav hot spot. My public demands it." He slicked back his hair, which stuck back out.

Cyborg just smirked back, humoring him. "Ya got a point. It is a good attention grabber," he shrugged sarcastically, "What if they found out you were green?"

"Hah," Beast Boy forced a dry laugh. "Look, I'm just gonna' go out, cut loose, and try to avoid any more possible near death experiences." He dusted off his shoulder.

Cyborg crooked his head. "Say what?"

Beast Boy rolled his eyes. "Long story." The past events up until now were numerous to the point where he'd lost track. He shook his head, not wanting to dwell. "Ya know, I was originally gonna' go a couple days ago, but Robin dumped us with chore duty with you bein' a no show. You're welcome by the way."

Cyborg crossed his arms, hardly grateful. "Yeah, I heard. The clothes have never been cleaner. Along with the floors, walls, and the rest of laundry room."

"Heh heh," Beast Boy grinned sheepishly.

Cyborg just shook his head, looking up at the ceiling. "If that's what comes outta' you two together, I might not count on this as bein' one of your better nights."

"Nah," he swung his arm, "It'll be cool. I just hope not as 'cool' as you made Raven's room out to be," he crossed his arms.

Now, it was Cyborg's turn to be on the spot as he just awkwardly smiled in apology.

Beast Boy switched back to a positive outlook, never one to really hold a grudge. "Besides, I'm kinda' gettin' the hang of this whole 'time share' thing."

True enough, Beast Boy had done a lot with Raven in the past few days he never thought possible, let alone enjoyable. He'd played a video game with Raven. WITH RAVEN! Whom, up until recently, he would've defined as the spokesperson for being against electronic stimulation. He'd even been locked in her room and lived to tell the tale. Technically, that duration had been spread out between her room and her mind, but that was even more of an accomplishment simply due to him still retaining a pulse.

He had every right to hold his head high. Perhaps had he taken Raven out before all this, he might've been a little doubtful, maybe even unsure, and counting the minutes before Raven blew a gasket at him. But by now, he was beginning to build a sort of comfort zone around Raven. Still nervous at times and a tad awkward on small talk, but day by day, he was starting to gain a better foothold on how to interact with Raven and still be himself.

Cyborg gave a small proud smile. "Ya really think ya got this down, do ya?" There was a minor hitch in his tone, as if trying to insinuate not to get overconfident, that the bet wasn't over yet.

"Down, through the floor, and out the other side to China," he stretched his arms behind his head, "I'm ready for anything."

The main room doors swished open, catching Cyborg's attention. He looked up past Beast Boy to the entranceway, causing his eye to open wider, almost bewildered. "How bout' that?" he pointed behind Beast Boy, taken aback.

Beast Boy faintly tilted his head at Cyborg in confusion. He looked over his shoulder, which quickly caused him to turn fully around to share Cyborg's expression, caught completely off guard. He wasn't the only person sporting a new look.

The doors swished closed from behind as Raven came to a stop after just four steps inside the main room. She had forgone her traditional outfit/uniform for a more casual wardrobe choice. She was dressed in a long sleeve dark blue hooded sweatshirt and black sweatpants. Nothing particularly eye catching, except for the fact this was the first time either of them had seen her in any clothing aside from her typical attire. The only familiar thing about her was her shoes which would've matched the color to her cloak and the silhouette draped over her face from having the hood of the sweatshirt up, cutting off just beneath the nose.

Her posture was slumped slightly, obviously a little uncomfortable, feeling almost naked without her cloak. The hood made up for something, at least able to hide her face if need be. Unlike Beast Boy, there was such a thing as too much attention in Raven's perspective.

Raven met eyes with the two silent, still unmoving boys.

"What?" she said in a curious deadpan expression.

"Uh…" Cyborg searched for words cautiously. He knew how important it was to pick words carefully when commenting on Raven, more so when you were previously on her bad side. "Raven, you… look… different."

Beast Boy nudged a sharp elbow to Cyborg's robotic ribs, hinting not the most flattering critique. Raven was a telekinetic empath with demonic blood and limited emotional mobility. Of course she was different. Who in the tower wasn't?

"…Nice," he quickly corrected himself, "You look nice."

Raven lowered her hood. "You can stop with the heart warming compliments, there's hardly anything meant to be 'nice' about it," Raven stretched her hands along her sides, looking over her clothing to judge for herself, "It's the only thing clean I had to wear that wasn't trashed in our laundry fiasco."

"Can't really blame 'em. I'm kinda' surprised too," Beast Boy blinked from his vacant stare, "I didn't even think you had anything but capes and cloaks to be honest."

"A fair assumption," she patted down the sleeves, clearly breaking them in for the first time. "Robin insisted I have at least one alternative clothing arrangement if ever we were to blend into crowded areas for surveillance purposes or stakeouts. I selected for comfort, not that I'm inclined to the ways of fashion."

Beast Boy gave one last quick head to toe inspection of Raven's new look, unable to shake the pride that the two of them were sharing such a unique experience of looking like conventional teenagers. More or less.

"Well," Beast Boy clapped, rubbing his hands together in anticipation, "Time's a wastin'." Beast Boy turned heading for the door. "Cy, if ya need us, ya know where to find us. C'mon, Raven," he led, pointing onwards with a grin, exiting the main room.

Raven rolled her eyes at her green escort, not even attempting to curve his enthusiasm. She turned to follow, walking passed Cyborg.

Losing his momentary state of awe and Beast Boy now out of sight, he looked at Raven as she moved by, a cocky smirk now growing on his face. He raised his eyebrow and opened his mouth…

"Not a word," Raven calmly warned as she passed, intercepting Cyborg's unmistakable taunting expression.

Cyborg's mouth shut, his facing quickly shifting back into neutral. He watched as she left, the door closing once more after her. "Probably best I didn't say anything," he turned with a relieved sigh.

oOoOoOo

Beast Boy and Raven made for their determined destination, soaring high above the city streets, Raven with her hood up once more to block the high wind as she flew majestically with the aid of her powers, Beast Boy alongside in the form of a green falcon. They soared at a comfortable altitude, Beast Boy slightly out in front for Raven to follow, as she was still in the dark about where they were going.

After just entering downtown, Beast Boy flew out in front of her, circling briefly and causing Raven to slow and eventually stop in front of him as he flapped against the breeze in midair. He then let out a squawk, aiming his head downward before descending towards the ground in a steady dive, no doubt signaling they had arrived. Raven followed close behind, tailing the green bird into an alleyway below. Beast Boy swung his talons out in front of him, coming in for a landing. He touched down on the ground swiftly, folding in his wings as he morphed into human form on one knee. Raven touched down beside him as he rose.

He walked forward, exiting the alley and out into the avenue sidewalk, Raven close behind. "Here we are," he gestured as he threw both hands out, proudly showcasing their destination.

Across the street was a fairly large building. A rather clean and well maintained looking structure save for the few aged cracks dotted along the layouts of the painted brick walls. Brimming with neon lights glowing bright yellow, green, and hot pink encircling from the sides to the front caught the eye of passing onlookers and tourists alike. There was a set of double doors with a steady flow of people, mostly teenagers, coming and going in all directions, indicating it was no doubt a popular adolescent hangout. Above the stainless steel trim, a large marquee also outlined with LED lights, emitting bright shades of sky blue, and further highlighted by a purple highlight bar underneath which read ARCADE in big bold letters.

Raven glanced from the arcade to Beast Boy, figuring she should've been able to guess. Though she was somewhat surprised he'd opted to land a short distance away and walk across the street casually rather than landing right in front of the arcade, which would've no doubt attracted more attention. Beast Boy was never shy about drawing a crowd. Maybe it was for her benefit or maybe it was the non-hero attire. If he wanted to look like a normal teenager, it only made sense that he acted like one too.

Beast Boy tucked his hands in his pockets, casually crossing the street. "So, the way I see it, I figure the best place to start i…" he looked beside him, only to find Raven wasn't there. He stopped, looking to the other side, but Raven still nowhere to be seen. Then turning around to look back, there she was still on the sidewalk, just staring at the building. And all those people.

He ran back over as Raven continued to just gaze at the arcade and its large scale of wandering patrons.

"Hey, Raven," he jogged to her side, "Uh… the party's this way," he thumbed towards the other side of the street. "What's wrong?"

Raven looked down at the ground briefly before turning her attention to him.

"Look, I know you've only played 'one' video game, so I get it if you're a little overwhelmed," he explained sympathetically with just a hint of a smirk, knowing full well Raven was not the type to be intimidated by most things, least of all video games.

"No," she said plainly, taking another glance at the building across the street and the numerous people surrounding it. "It's not that. It's me."

Beast Boy gave a confused look.

"More precisely, my powers," she stared at her hands, feeling her telekinetic energies surging through her even when not in use. "I'm just a little… cautious."

Raven had always been mindful of being in crowded areas, not merely for the lack of quiet and solitude but also for the possibility of her powers going haywire. Being driven by emotion, it didn't take much to set them off. In the time she had come to know and live with her friends, she'd done well to adjust to the company of others and had since furthered her control a great deal. She'd been in crowded city streets before, but usually, the crowd was running for cover as her fellow Titans were taking on some rampaging super villain. Inside, in a confined space, was a different story. Being in any close quarters environment around so many still gave her pause.

Beast Boy shrugged, "It's not like you've never been around people before."

"Not when I can help it. People in trouble are one thing," she looked at the crowd, "Normal people in large numbers in a social atmosphere are another."

"I'm social around you all the time, and you never blow me up," he pointed out.

She looked at him as if he'd omitted their entire coexistence in the tower.

"Well… mostly. When I DON'T have it comin' anyway," he shyly traced his foot in circles on the ground with a nervous smile.

Raven looked away, rubbing her temple in silence. There was that guilt she was trying get off her back rearing its ugly head again, reminding her why she was here to begin with.

He looked up at the troubled empath, worry clear on her face, quickly snapping back into his easygoing demeanor. "You worry way too much," he reassured her. "You'll be fine. Worse case, ya pop a few light bulbs with your mind after I totally school you," he grinned.

Raven frowned. "The day you 'school' me in anything will be the day your intellect becomes air born and contagious."

Beast Boy just smirked. He could tell she was starting to feel better.

"This is serious, Beast Boy," she said calmly, getting back to the matter. "I don't like losing control, especially not around people who could potentially get hurt."

"No one's gonna' get hurt," he said with a smile, putting a hand on her shoulder and gesturing towards the arcade.

Raven took a deep breath and exhaled slowly before she began walking across the street Beast Boy beside her.

"You'll see. You're worrying about nothing," he assured her as they reached the halfway mark of the crosswalk.

"I have everything to worry about," she said in a calm but vigilant tone. "BeastBoy, in case you haven't noticed, my powers have a mystic force that can transcend the very passage of time."

"So does Cyborg's homemade chili. What's your point?"

Raven sighed. "Why did I think I could ever explain anything to you?"

oOoOoOo

They entered the arcade, Raven still mindful of her surroundings and attentive to any potential emotion inducing spikes to her powers but maintaining an outer calm as she surveyed the inside. It looked a lot bigger than she would've guessed from its outer appearance, but then, this was her first time in an arcade.

As far as she could tell, there were two floors, as indicated by the narrow metal staircases beside the entrance way and a second set just in the middle of the ground floor. The thick concrete floors were covered by dull red carpet that covered the floor in a grid pattern, showcasing down row after row of game machines, leaving just the edges of the concrete exposed to view. There were a few windows dotted along the walls, but all of them were blacked out by thick paint, letting the dim lights overhead, guiding neon light around the floor trim, and the flicker of arcade monitors illuminate the interior. The air was cool but dry due to uneven circulation. It had a very urban/industrial vibe about it.

The lower floor was mostly populated by older arcade games and token machines scattered throughout. A small-enclosed area marked a prize-claiming booth for games that dispensed tickets where you could cash them in for whatever assorted awards were available. The higher valued, top shelf prizes were hung higher up on the wall, while the lesser bargain basement prizes were stored behind a thick glass case below. There was a small snack area in the corner with a hard countertop and a few stools occupied by a few patrons dining on slices of pizza and large paper trays of nachos doused in soggy cheese. The smell of burning grease was instantly recognizable.

Raven took a moment to mentally ingest the surroundings.

"Better than you thought, right?" Beast Boy said, breathing it in.

"It would have to be, for lack of worse thought," she replied unenthusiastically. Raven was never much of an appreciator of Beast Boy's teen culture, but truthfully, she could've pictured it a lot worse. People were coming and going at a regular pace so it wasn't as crowded as it looked outside, and the large capacity that was inside was spread out far enough, save for the occasional machine which gathered a small group of onlookers. The lighting was also a plus as it made her darker clothes easier to blend.

"You hate it," Beast Boy second-guessed her remark with a dull smile, trying to stay positive in his element.

"I don't hate it," she answered, looking him in the eye. "I wouldn't go as far as to say I love it, but I don't hate it."

Beast Boy's smile cracked a bit wider as they walked further onto the arcade floor.

Raven looked up the staircase before her, only guessing what was on the floor above as they continued to survey the floor they presently occupied. "Don't get the wrong idea, Beast Boy. I can get used to the idea of spending time outside of the tower. I've been getting used to having you around, and Azar help me, I can scarcely believe we're still honoring this ridiculous wager of Cyborg's. But considering the amount of time you spend playing these games 'inside' the tower, I can't understand why the first place you'd want to go would be someplace else to play them 'outside' the tower."

BeastBoy shrugged, still admiring his adolescent home away from home. "Mostly, I just come for the atmosphere."

Raven crooked her head slightly in his direction. "Mindless video games coupled with greasy foods doesn't exactly strike me as the most healthy atmosphere."

"Well, neither is gettin' eye strain reading spell books in the dark, hold up in your room," he rebutted, mimicking her look at him, " But you do it anyway cause it relaxes you. This relaxes me."

Raven rolled her eyes as if to admit, touché.

She looked away as if to try to gauge where they were going to start. "Whatever. But let's not forget, I've never been in this urban safari before, so just don't…"

She looked back to find BeastBoy absent from view.

"…Leave me alone," she hung her head, somehow predicting that would've happened. It figured the only time she wanted him around would be the one time she'd lose him so fast.

Raven sighed as she scanned the arcade, starting to walk in the first random direction she thought Beast Boy might've wandered off in. Keeping her attention focused on him was keeping her from worrying about her powers, so even this situation wasn't without merit. It was all the more reason to find him.

Raven rounded the corner, making her way down a wide lane of game machines on both sides. She glanced between and around games but refrained from calling out to Beast Boy, as she still wished to remain anonymous among the crowd. Not that sound would've carried that well over the dozens of machines playing, sound effects of gunfire and tires screeching against the backdrop of acoustic theme music from all sides.

A curious head leaned forward from between two stationary racecar simulators to watch her just as she walked past. An unsavory looking teen stepped out into full view, dressed in a grubby white t-shirt and tattered jeans, tilting up a pair of thick dark sunglasses to better trace her steps. He turned to face two equally sleazy looking juvenile delinquents on the opposite row of machines, signaling them with a wicked grin, thumbing towards the girl who'd just passed him.

The two simply chuckled to one another, as if they understood.

Flicking back down his shades and running his fingers through his greasy hair, he ducked through the consoles, casually jogging ahead to the other end of the lane where Raven was bound to emerge. Quickly glancing down the aisle to verify she was still heading his way he casually leaned against the machine at the end of the lane on one elbow, other hand on his hip, one leg tucked over the other as if to catch her eye. Somehow deeming his posture pleasing to the eye he bared his teeth in a curled smile.

His efforts were to no avail as Raven walked right past him, her eyes not even wandering in his general direction.

Holding the smile until she was far past him and certain she hadn't seen him, his face wrinkled as he shot a curious look at her back, scratching his head as to why she didn't stop. Not so easily discouraged, he hastily walked after her, slowing to match her pace once alongside.

"Say, uh…" he cleared his nose with a sniff, "Ain't seen you around here before."

"And with good reason," she said deadpan, not even exchanging eye contact as she looked straight ahead.

"You lost or somethin'?" he hung his head low, trying to see under her thick hood.

"I'm looking for someone," she replied simply, eyes panning the room.

"Oh, really. Well, uh, maybe I can help ya find'em. Whadda' they look like?" he asked with a smile and as much courtesy as his slang would allow. "Guy or girl?"

"Boy," Raven began.

The teen snatched a small tube of breath spray from his pocket, spritzing a peppermint mist in his mouth. "I think we're getting' warmer," he smirked, batting his eyebrows above his shades.

Raven paid the insinuation no mind. "Purple shirt, black pants, about so high," Raven held up her hand; palm flat to illustrate BeastBoy's height, "Green eyes, green hair, green skin, pointy ears. No distinguishing marks."

The teen froze to the spot, letting her walk past him, a stupefied look on his face. He knew some girls had obscure tastes, but he never realized how obscure.

His two friends, previously hanging back a short distance away, came up from behind him, one at each side. They both watched as their friend removed his shades, a vacant look in his eyes.

"Hey bro, what happened?" one of them scratched their head.

"Yeah. It ain't like you to just bail on a chick like that," the other crossed his arms in surprise, looking back as the hooded girl continued to move away. "What gives?"

The teen slumped beside his two friends, an arm leaning on each. "My mom always told me never mess with anybody weirder than I am."

The two just looked at one another before looking off in her direction one last time.

Raven rounded the next corner into an open pathway that seemed to converge on all paths through the arcade, hands on her hips as she looked down another aisle of games.

"Raven!"

She turned her head at the sound of a familiar voice calling.

Beast Boy came running, skidding to a halt in front of her. "Hey, where'd ya go?" he asked cheerily.

"Looking for a fool I was parted with," she folded her arms.

"Oh, anybody I know?" he tilted his head.

She narrowed her eyes with a sigh. "Where did you go?"

"Just to grab some tokens," he held up two handfuls of shiny silver game tokens, the arcade logo embossed on both sides. "So, what should we play first?"

"I don't suppose there's anything here that's intellectually stimulating and not otherwise pointless?" Raven asked, expecting a hollow response.

Beast Boy and Raven looked out into a sea of empty stares and drool froth mouths, scarcely blinking, bringing on slight twitches amongst a few overly focused and unmoving players.

"Yyyyyyeah," BeastBoy curled his face, "They got tons of those."

They walked along a larger trail of games against the back wall, BeastBoy skimming the machines with his eyes as if nitpicking the appropriate title. Raven just followed close behind, uncaring but not letting him out of sight this time.

"We need something good," he inspected from one console to the next, "Something challenging but not frustrating. Something fun, but not too corny. Classic, but up-to-date." He scratched his chin.

"It's called reading," Raven said dryly, "You might want to look into it."

Raven glanced from machine to machine, uninterested but still unable to resist the attention grabbing effect of so many flashing lights and colors. It was amazing that Beast Boy could put so much critical thought into deciding a video game when he could scarcely choose on a pizza topping.

"What we need is…" BeastBoy stopped cold in a gasp as he gawked at larger machine on the end in the middle of the aisle. He quickly turned, hands covering his eyes. "Raven?" he said with a quiver in his throat, "Could you please tell me what you see?"

"A boy whose brain is so underused the mold seeping out has turned his skin green," Raven scowled.

Beast Boy peeked through his fingers. "No, the game. What's the title of that game over there?" he pointed blindly towards the big game machine with disbelief, daring not to look.

Raven raised an eyebrow, looking past her green friend to the console he was gesturing towards. It was a sizeable machine, much bigger than the surrounding ones with a large forty-inch wide screen. Illustrations of monsters and ghouls decorated the sides with poorly painted decals of blood dripping down the sides. She squinted to make out the title imprinted on the top, several words surrounding the title being in Japanese. "Hyper… Zombie… Scourge," she read slowly.

Beast Boy fell to his knees, throwing up his hands. "DUDE!" he cheered, as he darted over hugging the machine. "I thought it was too good to be true. An actual, genuine, domestic import of one of the most awesome games in the world." He wiped away a small tear of joy from his cheek. "I've only played games that imitated this game."

"It's a video game, Beast Boy," Raven said un-phased, used to seeing him get carried away over trivial things.

"It's not JUST a video game, Raven. This is like the premiere title that launched the whole Zombie Slayer franchise. Total zombie blastin', gut spillin', head bustin'… DUDE!" he cut short to hug the machine once more in a tremble of excitement. "Okay, we gotta' play this!"

"Whatever," Raven walked next to Beast Boy as he anxiously dropped a token into the coin slot.

Beast Boy picked up the controller, which for this particular game was a large, thick plastic handgun with a wire connecting out the bottom and into the base of the machine. The start button blinked as Beast Boy pressed down, causing the speakers mounted on the side to boom a blood-curdling laugh. MWA HA HA HA HA HA HA!

He dipped his head between his shoulders, raising the gun to eye level, aiming at the large screen as it faded to black. Raven stood off to the side, a neutral expression as she watched the screen. Though she was hardly interested in the game itself, if this was the game behind the one she'd previously played, it wouldn't hurt to compare between the two.

"THE DEAD… ARE… AMONG US!" the game screeched as BeastBoy was hurled into the action. The monitor came to life with a first person view of a vacant city street, covered with chunks of concrete and assorted debris. Cars wrecked and on fire lined the sidewalk. Suddenly, a manhole cover burst open with swarms of zombies streaming out, staggering and crawling closer towards the screen.

Beast Boy shut one eye, staring down the plastic sights.

**BA-BLAM! BA-BLAM!**

With every squeeze of the trigger, a loud crack of gunfire cut through the speakers. Unfortunately, that was all it cut through as Beast Boy's shots strayed far off target, as visibly represented by large muzzle flashes on the screen. His shot grazed limbs, slowing the zombie's advance but doing little to stop it altogether. He did manage to hit a few of them dead center, but such shots were far between each other. He was so excited to be playing this game his hands were shaking, making it difficult to steady his aim.

"Aw, no. No no! No!" Beast Boy muttered to himself as zombies were now coming from all sides of the screen, and he hadn't been stemming the flow by one bit. "Come on! Don't even…"

From the bottom left corner of the screen, a zombie squatted down and sprang up into the air, barreling down right for him.

Beast Boy saw him coming, taking aim with a quick flick of the wrist, his hands steadier now. "Oh, no ya don't," he locked the zombie square in his sights right between the eyes.

**CHCK!**

Nothing.

"Huh?"

**CHCK! CHCK! CHCK!**

An empty click from pulling the trigger indicated he'd neglected to keep track of his ammo. The sidebar, which displayed his number of bullets, was empty. Beast Boy frantically swung the gun off screen, with another quick pull of the trigger, reloading his magazine to full. He drew his weapon back…

**CHOMP!**

The airborne zombie had clamped down its jagged teeth right into the screen, leaving bloody teeth marks on the center of the screen.

**AH-HA-HA-HA-HA-HA-HA-HA!**

A maniacal laugh echoed once more as dripping letters spelled GAME OVER across the screen.

"Aaaagghhhhhhhh!" Beast Boy groaned in defeat, hunching over with his hands at his sides. He lifted the gun to the side of his head, pulling the trigger, mimicking a gun noise. His eyes went wide as he fell over onto the floor, playing dead as if to escape the shame of defeat.

Raven watched him fall with a thud. She leaned over, inspecting his lifeless form with his tongue hanging out of the side of his mouth. His eyes shot open, springing to his feet.

"That… was… AWESOME!" he exclaimed. "Raven, you so gotta' try this." He shoved the gun into her arms, running behind her and pushing her in front of the screen.

"Oh, yes," she said with her head hung low at her green cohort, absent of enthusiasm, "Disemboweling the living dead electronically. I can barely contain myself."

Raven looked down at the gun, taking it firmly into her hands, holding it up. It was surprisingly heavier than she gauged watching Beast Boy, as the sensors at the front of the gun caused the barrel to dip downward, forcing Raven to ease her wrist back to hold it steady.

Beast Boy stood with a token at the ready a mere inch from the coin slot. "You, uh, know how to use that?" he asked with a grin.

"Sure," she said dryly, "When the bad things come at me, I squeeze the trigger to make them go away."

Raven acquired most of her combat experience from her powers and was not accustomed to aiming or firing projectile weapons. But this was only a game. She reasoned it couldn't be that difficult.

Beast Boy gave a nod as he dropped the token into the slot. The game began as before, fading into the same city street, following an eerie laugh.

Raven held the weapon at the ready, though more steadily than Beast Boy as her excitement level was far less in comparison. As before, the manhole cover blew open, hordes of zombies beginning to slowly pour out onto the street in front of her and starting to advance towards her.

Raven's facial expression still unchanged, border lining between a glazed stare and a yawn, she took aim, pulling the trigger.

**BA-BLAM!**

Raven's wrist snapped back, catching her by surprise. She hadn't noticed on account of the loud sounds from the game and watching the screen more than Beast Boy as he played, but this gun controller mimicked recoil via moving parts. The slide at the top of the gun was spring loaded.

Her shots strayed, as Beast Boy's had, only about an inch higher above the desired targets.

**BA-BLAM! BA-BLAM!**

She squeezed off more shots, but none finding their mark. She couldn't seem to aim while at the same time trying to compensate for the recoil, jolting her gun sights at the last second to send the shot far over the still approaching zombie's head.

Raven grumbled. She didn't care about winning this pointless game, but she figured she would be doing far better than this. Even with both hands, her shots veered off course. Not on the far opposite corner of the screen, but just enough to surround her intended targets with near misses.

"Mmmmph!" she grumbled louder.

Beast Boy couldn't help but notice, turning his attention from the lack of dead zombies on screen to the sight of Raven struggling to keep steady her aim. "Uh, Raven?" he asked, as if to offer to help in some way.

"Not a word, BeastBoy," she glanced to the side. Raven was all too familiar with how competitive Beast Boy was when it came to video games. If she had to wager a guess, he was either going to say, 'it's always hard the first time you play' to reassure her or, 'wow, you're really bad at this'. She was playing this ridiculous game of his. She figured the least he could do was spare her from any kind of pity.

**BA-BLAM! BA-BLAM!**

She squeezed off a few more rounds, aggravation setting in. Partially at her still un-improving accuracy, partially trying to second-guess what kind of statements Beast Boy was bound to make about her play performance. He was either going to sugar coat how badly she was doing or gloat about it, and she was in no mood for either one.

Finally, Beast Boy took a step towards Raven. She narrowed her eyes, catching his movement out of the corner of her eye. She huffed. "BeastBoy, I swear if you…"

He planted his hand on top of Raven's head, pushing down, forcing her to her knees in front of the machine. He then took hold of her wrists, gently resting them on the base of the platform that holstered the gun when not in use, allowing her to prop the gun.

Raven merely blinked as if the only way to react, looking at Beast Boy funny.

"There," he said with a proud smile, stepping back, "Try that."

Shrugging the bewilderment from her face, she turned her attention back to the screen. Finding that her new fixed position allowed for more control, aiming became a great deal simpler. With her arms resting on the platform, holding the gun steady took less effort, and took the weight of the controller almost totally out of the equation.

**BA-BLAM!**

This time her shots landed with much more precision. Seamlessly moving from zombie to zombie, body parts became severed in between shots. Raven's aim favored the dead center, causing clouds of green innards to spout like the cap being popped from a shaken bottle of cola. It was gratifying in a sort of gross, masochistic kind of way.

Beast Boy wore a triumphant smile as he watched the screen, zombie after zombie dropping to the ground in digital groans of agony. Raven had now far cleared beyond the point he had made it to.

Raven got up, patting down her knees.

"Fun, huh?" BeastBoy crossed his arms.

Raven gave a dull look. "If by fun you mean capable of holding your attention, then… yes. To an extent," she stubbornly admitted, despite her shaky start.

Beast Boy looked back at the screen. "Uh-oh," he pointed, "It ain't over yet."

Raven looked back.

A large hulking monster came into view, knocking aside lingering corpses strewn about the street. At least four times the size of the previous zombies, it had no head so to speak, but rather its mouth was between its shoulders, right at the base of where the neck would've been, sporting row after row of sharp teeth. Its massive arms rose high into the air, letting out a ferocious roar as spiny tentacles burst from its sides waving wildly. No doubt the boss of the level.

Raven just stared. "Oh, how terrifying," she said sarcastically. Raven had encountered more frightening creatures in Starfire's cooking. She casually raised her arms, gun pointed at the screen once more.

Just then, the monster's chest opened up, revealing its rib cage, dotted with sharp lesions. Inside the ribs opened four blood shot eyes, pupils darting every which way.

"Ewwwww, gross. I'd heard about this dude, but never actually seen'em," Beast Boy said mildly disgusted. "It's like the Wicked Scary gone wild, huh Raven?" he nudged her with his elbow.

No answer.

"Raven?" he looked back.

Raven just stared at the screen.

"Uh… Raven?" Beast Boy waved a hand in front of her face, but got no response.

Raven's stare grew cold and hard, focused on the monster. More specifically, its eyes. On the screen, it was just a rancid looking grotesque creature, but in her mind all she could picture were the burning eyes of her father. A vision of Trigon looking back at her.

Her grip tightened, her vision narrowed, throwing out her arm with the gun aimed dead ahead.

**BA-BA-BA-BLAM!**

The speakers boomed four shots so quickly it sounded like only a single shot. Beast Boy could only stare, tracing from Raven's face, down her arm, past the end of the gun to the screen. There were four digitally rendered wounds, each dead center through one of the eyes.

Just then the monster fell over, howling in agony. It crashed to the ground with a thunderous impact that boomed through the sound system. The words: **LEVEL CLEARED** typed onto the screen accompanied to triumphant music in the background as the monster breathed its final breath.

Beast Boy swallowed hard, unsure if she was about to experience another break with her powers. "Um… I think ya got'em."

At long last, Raven blinked after holding a dead stare for countless minutes.

"Raven?" Beast Boy asked cautiously, "You okay?"

She closed her eyes, exhaling deeply. She raised her arm, gun still in hand, opening her eyes slowly. "I feel cleansed," she said casually. She gave the gun a brief twirl around her finger before tossing it into the holster. Adjusting her hood, she then turned and began walking towards the next row of machines.

"Phew," Beast Boy wiped his brow in relief. "That was close. For a minute there I thought you were gonna'…" that's when he noticed Raven was getting farther away. "H-Hey! Wait up!" Beast Boy hustled to catch up beside her with a grin.

As the machine marked Raven's score in the corner bracket, it cut to a freeze frame of the vanquished monster. Upon closer inspection, small cracks pierced the screen in the exact center of where Raven had landed her shots in the monster's eyes, rippling with a fleeting crackle of black energy.

oOoOoOo

An hour or so went by and even with all the precautionary measures in the back of her mind, Raven had nary a spike in her powers. Not even a momentary lapse. Granted she was playing it safe by not participating in very many games, but just having her along for the company seemed to be good enough for Beast Boy. He certainly asked her to play just about everything he dropped a token into. But Raven just wasn't a game savvy person. Which was surprising, when you considered just how well she did at Hyper Zombie Scourge on her first try, even if she did need a few pointers as a beginner.

On the whole, it was actually shaping up to be a rather pleasant experience. And best of all, completely incident free. Well… except for the one exception during ski ball, but that wasn't Raven's doing. Beast Boy was not above showing off from time to time. His back to the ski ball ramp, eyes closed, whipping the ball behind him, off the jump, bouncing off the back panel, and finally ricocheting off the back of his head before it amazingly dropped into the five hundred point marker. Naturally, he deemed it totally worth it. Twenty tickets, only a bump on the back of his head, and an inaudible chuckle from Raven. What more could you want?

Initially, Raven had figured she'd call it a night after the first hour when she still had her doubts and worry. But nothing had slipped, the evening was still fairly early, and this was probably the most she had ever enjoyed a public setting, considering it was just her and the one person she always thought she'd put into orbit if she was ever stuck alone with him for more than ten minutes. He wasn't forcing anything on her and just hung back and let her be herself as she let him do the same. He wasn't pretending to be someone else in front of her and that felt flattering somehow. And he'd gotten so many tokens that she figured they could hang around until they were all used up. And with the number of games they'd already been through, that wouldn't be much longer.

"Well," Beast Boy said, tallying the remaining tokens in the palm of his hand, "Looks like we're down to the last few games of the night." He counted eight tokens remaining, enough for another two or three plays; depending on which machines they played. "How 'bout it, Raven? Ladies choice."

Raven slurped through her straw, draining the last of her blueberry slushie. In the absence of tea, and thirst earlier in the evening, Raven needed something to drink but didn't want to get tanked up on sugar, lest she be up again all night. So Beast Boy recommended a slushie from the snack bar. Surprisingly refreshing, and the ice deluding the sweetness of the syrup made it an optimal choice.

"Pass," she said simply, discarding the now empty cup into a nearby trash receptacle.

"Hmm," Beast Boy scanned the floor. "Played that, beat that, all-time high score champ on that," he murmured to himself looking from one game to another, "I think I've pretty much dominated most of the stuff down here. So that just leaves…"

Beast Boy now looked to the staircase and the upper floor as if hearing the fanfare of trumpets in his mind. For the entire time they'd been at the arcade, they kept completely to the ground floor. Obviously, the notion on his face hinted it was time to move up to something different, both figurative and literally.

"C'mon, Raven. Race ya!" he beckoned with a swing of his arm, as if waving a starting flag, taking off like a shot up the steps.

Raven merely gave a dull stare, shaking her head and sluggishly walking after him. She couldn't figure out if Beast Boy forgot that she wasn't the spontaneous peppy person he mistook her for so frequently or if he merely kept doing it for the sake that she might actually humor him some day.

She reached the top of the stairs, finding Beast Boy catching his breath. "Well," he huffed in between breaths, "Whadda' ya think?"

Raven looked out into the floor, to her surprise finding fewer games. Much fewer in comparison to the floor below. There were only four primary machines that seemed to be the focal point in the center of the floor, but each incidentally larger than any single game she'd observed downstairs. Aside from that, only a few regular machines were placed around the outer edges of the floor.

"To be honest, I was expecting something more extravagant," Raven admitted, surprised that the number of games didn't far outnumber those below.

"Oh, I'll show ya extravagee… extreevag… extru… uh… I'll show ya," he strolled over, Raven two steps behind to no doubt offer a moment of silence for the verbal part of his brain that skidded on a mental oil slick on the vocabulary highway, causing it to drive into a brick wall.

They came to a stop before a lineup of the four machines evenly spaced between each other, stopping short of the moderate sized bunch of players waiting their turn and onlookers mingled together. Raven tilted her head slightly at one of the games, finding the layout familiar somehow, but unable to place it. It had a large base, outlined with bright neon pink lights and blinking miniature spotlights on the top of the wide video screen centered at eye level. A large subwoofer speaker system anchored on both sides, with colorful decals and more Japanese wording. Connected to the base through a series of wires and supports was a large flat metal platform with red painted metal rails looping upwards across the back.

They both watched as a teen stepped from the crowd up onto the platform. He slipped a few tokens into the coin slot below the monitor before punching a glowing button labeled 'START'.

An upbeat melody began playing as a menu came up on screen, cataloging what appeared to be musical tracks.

Raven's mind clicked, looking down at the platform, four panels lighting up in separate directions. She was suddenly now able to place this machine as the predecessor to the home version Cyborg and Beast Boy had played around the tower on occasion. She never caught the title, but the music had disturbed many a tranquil reading in the main room and would often cause her to retreat to a more secluded part of the tower.

From what little she could recall, the game was a music-based competition of rhythm and dance, requiring players to jump, stomp, and move to the beat of pre-selected music while mimicking the dance steps on screen. Though it wasn't so much the music that bothered her so much as the pounding against the metal floors of Titan's tower that seemed to echo all the way down to the garage. Cyborg, in particular, wasn't all that light on his feet.

All four machines had players bounding in every direction across the localized dance floors. Some admittedly fairly skilled, drawing hoots and hollers from spectators. Others, having obvious difficulty as the game itself digitally commented on missed steps and poor performance. The game seemed to emphasize a vague middle ground of results.

"Cool, huh?" Beast Boy asked not looking away, drifting between several machines and their respective players.

"That's certainly one way of putting it," Raven mused as she watched one competitor step from the machine with his head hung low, a chorus of electronic boos signaling his game was over. "Dehumanizing is another."

Raven was never able to fully understand the allure of simulated humiliation at one's own abilities. Challenging yourself was one thing, but in front of dozen's of watchful eyes amidst laughter and pity of one's peers seemed a bit extreme, even for a video game. Who would risk that kind of degradation in a public setting?

"Alright! My turn!" Beast,Boy dashed for the now vacant machine.

Five seasons, and he hasn't missed a cue yet.

Beast Boy stepped up onto the pressurized platform, doing a quick stretch. "What do ya say, Raven? Gotta' groove that needs bustin'?" he offered an invitation to join him as the platform had a two player competitive mode.

"I think I'll keep my 'groove' right where it is," she declined with a wave of her hand.

Beast Boy shrugged, turning back to face the machine. He took a few tokens in hand, depositing the remaining few in his pocket.

"Um…"

Beast Boy looked beside him to find a casually dressed young boy, only a few years younger than him. If he had to guess, maybe as young as twelve. He stood on the second player's spot on the platform, nervously rubbing his arm.

"Could I… uh, that is…" he shyly asked, jingling tokens in his hand, "Would you mind if I played too?"

Beast Boy smiled with a nod. "Sure thing, dude. More the merrier."

The kid was still visibly tense but returned a smile all the same as he dropped his tokens into the coin slot. "I gotta' warn you, I'm not the best at this game".

"Don't sweat it," Beast Boy reassured him, inserting his tokens. "I'm not exactly a pro either. I just shake it and try not to break it," he swayed from side to side forcing a chuckle out his new dance partner, somewhat easing the tension.

"Hmmm," Raven analyzed his statement, uncertain of how much truth there was to that. She'd never actually watched Beast Boy play this ridiculous game, but she did know that he had logged more than a fair share of hours at least every other week, as verified by the vibrations through the floor that she could sometimes hear even up on the roof.

The screen lit up with the push of the start button as the lights on the machine began to flicker. An index screen scrolled up from the bottom, listing the available songs for play. The boy looked at Beast Boy, who merely gestured to the screen with an open palm, courteously allowing him first selection.

He began scrolling down, a brief sample of each track playing through the speakers. He bit down on the corner of his lower lip, deciding which to choose.

Raven, though hardly interested, deeming a game to be a game, was receptive to the variety of music. She was able to make out hints of rock, rhythm and blues, generic dance and techno melodies, and assorted other genres of music. Even though not her premiere choices in music, she subconsciously found herself tapping her toes to the beat of a few songs. But she did so by tapping her toes against the inside of her shoe rather than her whole foot against the floor, so it would go unnoticed.

After drifting between a few tracks, he finally chose the first song to be played. With the push of a button, his selection was made as the screen faded to black. A few seconds later, the screen lit back up, two cartoon like characters sharing the screen. One on Beast Boy's side, the other on his younger cohort's. Just above them, a long horizontal gauge stretched across the top of the monitor, filled halfway on both sides.

A steady beat of drums and twang of electric guitars began pumping through the speakers. The two characters on screen began to dance to the music as if a visual method of being told the game was about to commence. _'READY'_ appeared in big bold letters on screen like the yellow light that lit up at a race just before dropping into the green.

"_Let's Dance!"_ bellowed from the speakers to signify the song was officially underway as arrows began to steadily scroll upwards on the screen to the beat of the music.

The two boys began planting their feet in rhythm on the corresponding directional arrows on the platform. From what Raven observed. it seemed to be all about timing and landing your feet on the pad at just the right time to match the beat of the song.

It started out slow but steady. Arrows climbed to the top of the gauge one after the other, sometimes in twos. With every stomp of the foot, their respective score rose, and seemingly with every proper and correct step, the gauge at the top began to fill.

It was actually quite a harmonious sight, watching the two of them moving in symmetry to music. There didn't seem to be any real trick to it. Not that Raven had any more consideration than before to actually play.

That was when she noticed the song's tempo picking up. The arrows began to move a little faster, giving them less time to react. It did little to hamper Beast Boy's companion as he did miss from time to time, but he did seem to have a solid grasp of keeping pace. Beast Boy himself was another story. It was like watching a pair of feet with hiccups. Just as they were about to move one way they'd dart the other way, one not knowing what the other was doing. The symmetry between the two quickly dissipated as Beast Boy's steps became more and more erratic, struggling to hit the right directional pads.

"Eeyah," he missed a left step.

"Argh!" he stepped forwards instead of backwards.

"Whaa!" he dug his heel onto the pad, hitting the right step but teetering his balance which caused him to miss three more.

He quickly regained his equilibrium, one hand grabbing onto the support bar behind him to steady himself. Beast Boy paused, watching the screen, trying to find his way back into the beat. Finding a gap between the arrows he jumped back in, bobbing his head with each step, getting back in tune with the rhythm.

Raven rolled her eyes as Beast Boy tripped up a few steps once more, holding her face in her hand. She couldn't tell if he was trying to show off again somehow or if he was just trying too hard. But whatever, the case it was a little difficult to watch.

After another minute or two, the music slowly faded out, the screen wiping to another. The sound of digital applause and cheering signaled the two of them had cleared the song. The machine tallied their individual scores, ranking them according to precision, timing, and correct number of steps.

The right side of the screen lit up with a glowing letter B. Beast Boy's dance partner chalking up a fair number of misses but having maintained a steady enough number adequately timed steps.

The left side lit up a dimly lit letter D. In light of the decent start he'd begun with, Beast Boy had missed quite a few steps. Too many to retain a higher letter grade.

Beast Boy wiped a bead of sweat from his brow. "Phew," he breathed.

"You okay?" the boy asked, leaning his head in concern.

"Oh, yeah. Totally. I just really need to work on that song," he scratched the back of his head. "I forgot it changed speed right in the middle like that." Beast Boy gave laugh at himself. "Feet are fast enough, head's just too slow to keep up," he knuckled against the side of his head.

The boy just smiled. "You still did really good."

Beast Boy grinned. "Right back at ya."

The two gave a quick low five, slapping on the hands. They turned back to the monitor with Beast Boy cracking his knuckles as he prepared to pick the next song.

"Man, do they let just ANYBODY play?" came a crass remark from the crowd.

Raven looked to the opposite side of the farthest machine. She recalled that voice from somewhere.

It was the same guy who'd made a hasty advance on her earlier. Now making his way through the crowd, his two associates pushed passed the mass of teens, making a path for him. Several people shot irritated and angry looks, but no one really offered much resistance.

"Course, not everybody's got 'da skills'," he dusted off his shoulder with two flicks of the wrist and a snicker.

He hopped up onto the platform causing the young boy to back away a few steps as his buddies hung back to look tough. Beast Boy gave a curious look, as if to wonder who this guy was. Or at the very least, who he thought he was.

He leaned down in front of the smaller boy who'd been playing alongside Beast Boy. "Beat it," he tilted his glasses down with a demoralizing smirk.

He quickly backed away with a small gasp, startled. In his haste to get down off the platform, he forgot about the height differential and stumbled backwards, but fortunately, some of the on looking teens around the machine steadied him, catching him before he could fall.

Raven turned to watch with concern as he ran through the crowd and down the stairs. The number of angry looks rose, Raven among them as she turned her attention back to the delinquents on the machine with spite in her eyes.

Beast Boy had stood there unchanged and unmoving, watching as the teen in front him straightened up. He had at least a couple inches on him in terms of height.

"Hows' bout a game?" he asked snidely with a smile.

"How bout an air freshener?" Beast Boy fanned his nose of the stagnant body odor emanating from his clothes.

"Heh heh," he gave a dry laugh, "Ya hear that fellas? We got a funny guy here." He looked over his shoulder to which his friends obliged with a sneer. He looked back at the green boy. "Yeah, nothin' funnier than a pint sized weirdo with the complexion of a pickle."

His two cohorts gave a laugh. Raven merely narrowed her eyes, clenching a fist. In an instant, every cup at the snack bar downstairs crumpled with a crackle of black energy, soda spraying everywhere.

Hassling people was one thing, but aggravating superheroes? Either these guys weren't local or weren't familiar with authority figures outside of the police. But amidst it all, Beast Boy just held his ground. He maintained a calm demeanor, just looking back at him. Quite a rare occurrence actually. Beast Boy exercising restraint contrary to his spontaneous, spur of the moment kind of nature. Normally, he probably would've morphed into lion and pounced on this delinquent by now, scaring him clean out of his boots before sending them running with their tails tucked between their legs. But despite his occasionally immature conduct, he was always mindful of how to act as a teen hero at all times, as far back as his days in the Doom Patrol. Especially in public and around civilians. Sure, this guy was no super villain. At best, he probably ranked just above a schoolyard bully. But a morph into some ferocious or otherwise intimidating animal would probably be justified about now. Certainly, even Raven wouldn't have looked the other way just this once.

And yet, he just stared back with no visible sign of losing his cool.

"Aww, whas'a matter?" he mocked. "You scared or just can't think of nothin' funny to say?" His two friends behind mimicked crying gestures, cackling back and forth to themselves.

Beast Boy gave a low yawn before snapping out of what seemed like a daze. "Huh? Oh, sorry. Did you say something?"

All three just blinked.

"My bad. I was trying to think of what song to play," he gave an embarrassed laugh for just tuning out. "See, first I was thinking like maybe something to wind down between dances like a little trance music. But then, I thought maybe keep the energy goin' with some hip-hop. Or maybe just…"

"Shut up!" he barked, his patience running thin from being ignored almost completely.

"Sheesh, somebody's cranky," Beast Boy rubbed his temple. "You maybe wanna go grab something to drink to cool down first?"

The teen's eye twitched slightly as if a blood vessel was about to burst, a vein showing through the side of his forehead. All of which was much to Raven's amusement. She couldn't tell if he was doing it on purpose or not, but seeing Beast Boy's absent-mindedness used for good rather than a petty annoyance was a surprisingly rewarding sight.

He just gritted his teeth in a huff, turning to the music selection screen so as to momentarily bypass the urge to take a swing at the green boy in front of him. He scrolled all the way to the bottom of the screen to the very last track, which was highlighted in deep red. He punched the selection button with his fist.

"_This is a really tough song,"_ the machine's voice over warned as a prompt on the screen appeared. The prompt asked: 'Are You Sure? YES / NO.'

"Um, I'm not really all that level just yet. Could we… uh… pick another?" Beast Boy asked.

The teen merely grinned as if all the reason he needed to show up this amateur, pressing firmly on the 'YES' option of the prompt. The screen faded to black once more.

Beast Boy's shoulders drooped with a sigh as his opponent removed his glasses, holding them over his shoulder where they were promptly taken by one of his friends without even having to ask. He then gave a quick stretch, rotating his neck and shaking his wrists, limbering up. Beast Boy just arched his back slightly, straightening up to watch the monitor.

A high paced beat began to throb through the speakers behind an echoing bass line, the sound of simulated crowds cheering and chanting filtering in. _'READY'_ appeared across the screen once more. Both eyes trained on the monitor.

'_Let's Dance!'_

From the bottom of the screen, arrows began streaming upwards at high speed. Steps one after the other, stacked on top of one another, and in every which way. There were no predictable patterns or routines, each step as spontaneous as the music it flowed to. It looked like less of a dance step and more like an organized seizure.

People crowded around the machine were dizzy from simply trying to follow the steps on screen. Even Raven swore her eyes tripped over one another trying to view the chaos of arrows.

Even the guy beside Beast Boy was having trouble keeping up, but somehow he was just barely managing to land his feet in unison with the marked steps. But not without taking a heavy toll on his endurance. The song was only ten seconds in, and already, he was breathing heavy. He wasn't exactly making all the steps either. He was missing two arrows for every one that he managed to make. And even the ones he did time right were not of perfect accuracy.

As fumbling as his steps were and in spite of the above average number of misses, it was just enough to keep from bombing out and failing the song. His score wasn't the fastest rising, but it kept his gauge at the top of the screen from emptying. And as long as there was something remaining in the gauge, the game wasn't over.

A wicked smirk grew on his face. He knew he couldn't count this performance as the best, but he had to be doing a lot better than the kid next to him. It was common knowledge how difficult this particular stage of the game was. Just to be able to endure this far into this particular song was an accolade on it own.

"So tell me, boys," he panted between breaths, "How bad's he floppin' this game?" He didn't want to take his eyes off the screen but was eager to learn of the smaller boy's demise. "Cryin' in shame yet?"

…

"Guys?" he called again, hearing no reply. "Hey! What gives?" His pupils shifted for a millisecond to find both of them dead silent and with their mouths hanging open. "What are you…"?

He shifted his eyes at the green boy beside him. Shock just didn't seem to say it all.

Beast Boy was keeping up. Heck, not just keeping up but staying right on top of every beat and step as fast as the screen could display it. Unlike his opponent, his feet weren't just blitzing every which way before stiffly striking the directional pad. Rather they flowed almost fluidly across, back and forth, and every other way his hips could aim them. It was less of a dance and more like an art form.

His animal characteristics came into full swing as reflected by his agility. His enhanced feet and eye coordination allowed him to strike the arrows firmly without having to put all his weight behind each movement. Every step on screen was perfectly executed as verified by arrows lighting up followed by thunderous roars of a digital audience before disappearing to make way for the next. But more than just with his feet, he put his whole body into it. A foot on one arrow, a flat hand on the other. Both knees on a double step, leaning back to land an elbow backwards. Then jumping back up with a hand forward before doing a brief spin and landing another foot to the right.

The huddled masses around the machine watching this display could not help but give way to expressions of awe. Raven, too, was surprised though her hood masked the momentary wide-eyed expression on her face before shaking it off. Beast Boy had always been one of the quickest members of the team, but this was the first time she had ever seen him so coordinated. It also became clear that he had played this for quite some time as he would frequently break eye contact with the screen, memory of the pattern of steps in his mind, and just let the rhythm move him of its own accord. Which made it look all the more graceful.

The delinquent beside him shared in his friend's disbelief, stunned beyond comparison. However, he quickly snapped out of it as a wave of boos from the screen regained his attention, so caught up in the display of unparalleled skill that he'd been missing every step on screen for a full fifteen seconds. He frantically resumed playing, trying to catch up. But he was too far gone. With the number of arrows he'd already missed added onto the ones he'd missed from being distracted, and the song more than halfway through, there was no way he could catch up.

A bitter look washed over his face as he turned to his two cohorts at his side. He squinted his eyes, nudging his head in the direction of the green teen beside him. The both of them gave a solemn nod, understanding the signal from their leader.

One of them discretely made his way around the machine right beside Beast Boy, who was still dancing up a storm. Too preoccupied to notice. With all eyes on Beast Boy, the teen put his foot up onto the platform, leaning over to make it look like he was tying his shoe. At that moment he casually eased his foot further out, sticking it out just enough to trip up Beast Boy.

His foot grazed the boy's leg, tripping him up, falling forward.

With a sneer, the teen looked away to savor the sound of the impact. But no such sound registered. Only the applause and cheers of the crowd watching, both from the game and in the arcade. He looked back only to be frozen in disbelief.

Beast Boy was in the form of a green monkey, continuing the dance on his hands upside down. With the ambidextrous ability of his simian attributes he continued to move just as easily as if his hands were a second pair of feet, his tail and feet swaying with each move.

The teen stuck his foot out again, swinging it across the platform angrily, not even trying to conceal it.

The monkey pushed off against the platform, easily dodging the sweeping kick, transforming again in mid air. When he touched back down, his dance still continued without having missed a step, now in the form of a kangaroo. Nimbly hopping from arrow to arrow.

He gave a defiant stare, feeling as though the green boy were mocking him. But the truth was that Beast Boy was merely focused on the game. His animal instincts were too sharp for this misfit to even touch him. Teasing the boy's efforts to foul up his game… that was just a bonus.

The second teen made his way over to assist. With a nod to each other and a primal yell, they raised up their arms and shot forward to make a grab for Beast Boy and throw him off the machine.

The kangaroo bounced up just over their reach, morphing again. Now, they had Beast Boy's attention.

A green tentacle ensnared each arm of the both of them. Startled, they looked up to find they were in the firm grip of a green octopus. Four hands to keep hold of the two of them with four more to adequately continue the dance routine on the platform.

Effortlessly, Beast Boy flip-flopped his arms to the beat of the music once more on the directional pads. Enraged, the two teens struggled to break free, but with the tentacles coiled tight around their arms, they were completely at his mercy.

"Let go!" one of them shouted. "Lemme' go ya freak!"

"When we get outta' this, you're…"

**SMACK!**

His own arm flung backward, striking him square in the face. "Oww!"

"What the?"

**SMACK!**

The other teen's arm did the same under the manipulation of the green's squid's grip. "Ahh!"

Beast Boy disciplined them to the beat of the song, bopping them senseless between dance steps. Not hard enough to do serious damage, but just enough for it to smart.

"Ouch!"

"Stop hittin' yourself," the crowd chanted.

"Argh!"

"Stop hittin' yourself!"

The final beat of the song concluded with a final burst of digital applause as Beast Boy struck the final corresponding pad as the screen faded to black. He morphed back to human form, landing lightly on his feet and throwing out his arms in symbolic 'Ta-Da' fashion.

No longer with a hold on the two ruffians, they leaned against each other before collapsing to the floor in a daze from head trauma.

Their leader, too, fell to his knees as well, but in exhaustion, struggling for breath. He'd been trying to gain the upper hand by trying to catch up his score under the assumption that his two cronies would keep the green boy occupied, and therefore, cause his score to fall. But in the end, all he'd done was completely wear himself out, with hardly an improvement to his final score.

The screen displayed their ranking. Beast Boy's letter grade was two solid gold letter As, glistening beside a near flawless score. The tallied numbers registered no misses or near misses.

The challenger's was a staggering letter F, faintly glowing red. The number or misses listed in the triple digits.

The gathered mass of spectators threw up their hands in massive support, cheering and hooting in Beast Boy's direction. He, in turn, just gave a satisfied grin, blowing kisses in between a brief bow.

Raven merely rolled her eyes with a sigh, but gave a hint of a small smile all the same. In this rare moment, he was entitled to boast a little.

Beast Boy vaulted over the back bar of the machine, wiping a bit of sweat from his brow. "I told that guy I wasn't very good at that song," he looked back at the machine.

She blinked as if he had to be joking, but the tone of his voice and doubt in his eyes showed he was serious. "You've got to be kidding me," Raven replied.

"No. It's like no matter what I do, I just can't get a triple A on that stage," he rubbed his arm shyly as if embarrassed by his performance.

Raven crooked her head to the side. Beast Boy was clearly a better player at this game than he let on. "So when you played the first time with that little boy, you were just pretending to be bad at this game?"

"No," he denied.

Raven quirked an eyebrow.

"Well… not completely. I mean, I hadn't played that song in a while so I did kinda' forget some of the steps. But come on! Ya could tell the kid was new to the game," he said genuinely. "If I woulda' totally showed off like that, he'd a never played again."

"So your mediocre performance was an act?" she analyzed.

He scratched his head, not liking the sound of that statement. "That kinda' makes it sound like I threw the game. I just tried to make him a little more sure about how he plays. Why? Ya think I shouldn't have held back?"

Beast Boy and Raven were heroes, and as such, it was important for heroes to set standards and values for those who look up to them. Lying in general wasn't something a hero should encourage. But exaggerating wasn't the same as lying. And exaggerating your skill to a lesser extent isn't necessarily cheating. Beast Boy said he wasn't the best at the game, and by his definition, he wasn't. If all he lied about was how well he 'could' play, than it was no different than lying about the Tooth Fairy.

"It was a nice thing to do," she answered in monotone as best she could to keep from smiling.

Beast Boy smiled anyway.

"Hey!" came a bellow from behind.

Beast Boy and Raven both hung their heads in a tired fashion before looking over to find the head honcho of the troublemakers supporting his goons to hold them upright on his shoulders. Obviously, someone hadn't had enough.

"Is it me, or should he have caught on by now?" Raven murmured to Beast Boy, causing him to hold in a chuckle.

He hobbled over, having to move slowly to support his friends who were still somewhat disoriented from Beast Boy giving them the mother of all headaches. "That was cheatin'," he accused.

"Nuh-uh," BeastBoy rebutted like a kindergartener.

"Yuh-huh," he teased back. "All those animals tricks you did can't count!"

"Why not?" Beast Boy asked curiously.

"Cause they… they…" his eyes twitched back and forth as if trying to think of an excuse, "Cause they just can't!"

"Let it go, already," Raven interjected, tired of this boy's infantile complaining. "Can't you at least pretend to have some common sense and just slink away with what little dignity you have left?"

"You?" The teen looked at Raven, recognizing her from before. He looked at Beast Boy, then back at her. "You with him?"

"Not how you might think," her eyes rolled off to the side, unaware of how the two of them looked side by side in a place like this.

He gave a perked up smile. "Well, in that case," he dropped his friends to the ground with a thud, getting up close to her, "What say ya ditch the freak and come 'console' the loser?" He made audible pucker sound with his lips.

Raven took a step back, as if all she could do to keep from being physically ill. "Not for all the tea in China," she said deadpan.

Beast Boy merely gave an annoyed look, not taking too kindly to the term 'freak'.

"Tch," he curled his lip in response. "Your loss. I only asked cause I can tell ya ain't got the looks to do much better if you're hangin' around with short, green, and gruesome over here." He gave a pitiful laugh her way, clearly trying to overlook her rejection.

Raven lowered her head with a piercing stare. She maintained her emotions in check, not losing control. But if there was ever a tempting thought to just let the four-eyed evil out of the bag, this was in the running.

The sight of the back of Beast Boy's head cut her thoughts short though as he stepped between her and the aggravating loud mouth.

Surprisingly, Beast Boy greeted him with a smile. "Ya know, that reminds me of a joke," he announced before he could verbally retaliate further. He turned to face Raven. "Knock knock."

Raven gave a dull look, unsure of what sort of nonsense this was supposed to be.

"Come on. Knock knock," he repeated, awaiting the appropriate response.

Raven sighed, shaking her head, deeming there was no such time as the right time to make sense out of Beast Boy. "Who's there?" she said with a hint of impatience, anger still indirectly aimed at the teen behind him.

"Rex"

"Rex, who?" she asked oddly.

Beast Boy morphed into a tyrannosaurus rex, towering high above Raven and the teens that were now trembling as a massive shadow ominously loomed over them. The two teens cowered on the floor behind their leader, grabbing hold of each other as if to dispel the chattering of their teeth. Their friend merely looked up slowly, swallowing hard as the tyrannosaur turned around, its tail narrowly swinging just over their heads.

It leaned down; its snout flared, exhaling a burst a hot air that blew his hair back. He looked passed its rows of jagged razor sharp teeth to its eyes, able to vaguely make out his reflection in its pupils.

Up until now, Beast Boy had only assumed the forms of less threatening, more comical animals. It was obvious these adolescents had no prior knowledge of his identity. So if these guys weren't aware of who he was or what he was capable of before, they had a clear understanding now.

The dino's mouth slowly opened as trace amounts of saliva outlined the edges of the serrated teeth. It reared back its head, breathing in.

!

A mighty roar shook the very ground the two of them were standing on, quickly shutting their eyes plugging their ears. When the roar subsided, the three slowly opened their eye to see the tyrannosaur still in front of them with a gleam in his eye as if visually signaling his intent to devour them whole.

"Y-y-y-ya-You think you're s-so bad? D-do ya?" the head teen choked out. "Well, w-we ain't s-scared of y-you! Are w-we, b-b-boys?"

His two subordinates merely trembled in terror.

"Boys?"

Just then the two of them fainted, leaving their leader to fend for himself.

He looked back to find the both of them out cold, nervously giving a weak laugh as he turned back to large green predator in front of him. He looked around at all the previous onlookers from the dance machine who just watched silently. "H-Hey! Ain't somebody gonna' call the cops? O-Or animal control? Or the ARMY!!"

The scattered spectators looked at one another before nonchalantly whistling and turning their backs so as to abstain from being witnesses. Indicating him as a repeat offender to such behavior.

"Eh-heh heh," he nervously laughed once more, finding no support. He took a deep breath. "I'm gone." And with that took off running like a mad man, yelping like a scared dog all the way. He looked back over his shoulder to see if the tyrannosaur was giving chase, only to trip down the stairs to the first floor. He fell over and over, stair after stair, rolling like a runaway boulder all the way down out the door kind enough to be held open by the young boy he'd previously scared off. As the teen lay in a heap on the sidewalk sporting large bumps on his skull; the boy shut the door behind him, dusting off his hands with a satisfied smile.

Back upstairs, Beast Boy returned to human form, dusting off his shoulder as he received further cheers and thumbs up from on looking patrons. He turned to Raven, who just looked back in her usual blank expression.

"Um… I forget how the rest of that joke goes. But, if you'd a heard it you'd a been laughin!" he grinned.

Raven gave a small smirk. She could've handled that degenerate herself, but it was considerate of Beast Boy to step in all the same. Plus, his way was much more satisfying.

Beast Boy looked back at the lingering remains of the incident. The two other teenagers who lay unmoving on the floor. "What about them?"

Raven gave a wave of her hand encasing them from the neck down in black energy. She lifted their limp bodies into the air, guiding them down towards the snack bar's trash receptacles. There were two large bins, one thick metal container and the other dense green plastic. "Do you think they'd want to be thrown out or recycled?" she asked dryly.

Beast Boy shrugged playfully.

"You're right. Who'd want to recycle them?" Raven pulled back her wrist, cutting off the energy field and letting them drop into the trash bin.

Beast Boy just smiled at her. Then, a realization dawned on him. He still had one more play left on the dance machine. He looked back at the game then to Raven. "Uh…" he stammered for words. After everything they'd just been through, he wasn't sure if Raven wanted to hear another word about that particular game.

"Go on," she said with a wave of her hand, shooing in the direction of the machine with a skyward look at the ceiling.

He gave a wide toothy grin with a sparkle in his eyes before taking off and jumping back onto the dance platform.

"One game," she added holding up her index finger, not willing to negotiate. It was getting late and in spite of how tolerable the night had been, she didn't want to stay out for very much later.

Beast Boy gave thumbs up as if to signify it was a deal. He turned back to select his next and final song as a few more lingering spectators took up position around the machine he was playing on.

Raven just shook her head, looking up at the ceiling. It was amazing how the little and most trivial things in life brought him the utmost joy. Perhaps a symptom of abandoning a normal childhood at such an early age. There wasn't any harm in staying in touch with one's inner child, though Beast Boy's was often headed for a spanking. But then again, it was also one his most endearing qualities.

Raven leaned up against one of the machines in the farthest corner of the floor. Far enough to not be noticed by casually passing patrons, but close enough so that Beast Boy could find her when he was finished his game.

The music on the machine began playing once more. This time slower paced but still with an upbeat tempo. Not long after, Beast Boy once again began dazzling the crowd with his stylish and admittedly skilled repertoire of dance steps. Only this time, they were all done solely in human form. Even if predetermined and dictated by a machine, his sense of rhythm and timing was impressive. If only he could apply equal skill in combat practice. Not to say that he faired badly by any standard in training. Of course, it is harder to develop rhythm when you're being shot at and without the aid of music.

Raven watched him from afar, though only for brief intervals before looking away. Even though they were friends, watching him through her hood covered eyes in a distant and dark corner, she couldn't help feel a little bit like a stalker.

By her second or third glance, it was obvious Beast Boy was developing quite the reputation. He seemed to know this place rather well, so perhaps he already had one to begin with. Whatever the case, he now seemed to have his own cheering section. A handful of teens, all of which were around his general age bracket. A large percentage of them female, clamoring and cheering him on to the beat of the song. Some of them clapping, some of them whistling, one of them even going as far as to pat him on the shoulder in support. Completely harmless.

Yet it drew a sour face from Raven. "Pfft," she blew a stray hair out her field of vision. "Wonder if they'd cheer the same after they saw how he eats," she grumbled under her breath.

That's when her face gave way to confusion, realizing what she was saying. What did she care over a few hollow cheers given by total strangers? Even if they were strangers of the opposite sex. And around Beast Boy's age. And… looking at him like a turkey at Thanksgiving with those hungry eyes.

She quickly shook her head vigorously, trying to break the line of thought. "What am thinking?" she nervously glanced back one last time before defiantly looking away. "Put a couple of pom-poms in their hands, and they'd shout at any musically inclined fool."

There it was again.

"Ugh!" she grunted to herself, turning around her back to Beast Boy's direction. "What is wrong with me? What do I care?" she said calmly, trying to quiet her thoughts. "This is Beast Boy. Since when have I ever given any kind of consideration for what other people think of him? It's not like I'm…"

"Jealous?"

"Exactly," she nodded in agreement.

…

"Wait, what! Who…" she made a facial double take, scanning the vicinity for whoever had put words in her mouth. And false words at that. She searched the immediate area around her but found no one. Everyone in plain view was occupied near the dance machine Beast Boy was on.

"Down here," the voice called again in a low hiss.

Raven traced the sound, turning her head and looking down to find… herself. Or rather a miniature version of herself standing on the top of a Whack-A-Mole machine. She easily recognized her as another one of her emotional doppelgangers, as represented by the different color-coding of her cloak and boots. She was only about three inches high and the color scheme of her wardrobe was that of a deep green.

Certainly not her embodiment of bravery. The four glowing red eyes were a dead give away.

Raven gave a dull stare, far from intimidated. "If you're looking for little wooden boy to let his conscience be his guide, you're out of luck," she quipped, making light of her small stature in contrast to Pinocchio. "The closest Beast Boy comes is having a head as dense as a tree."

"Amusing as always," the emotion answered back smugly. "But I'd take this a little more seriously if I were you."

"You'll forgive me if I don't quake with fear, but in the threat department, you come up a little short." Raven smirked, turning her back to the small emotion who merely tapped her foot impatiently at the short jokes. "Honestly, just how powerful of a threat do you think you are?"

"Powerful enough to materialize outside of your mind," she answered calmly but in a sinister tone.

Raven merely looked over her shoulder back down at her. She didn't make any kind of verbal rebuttal, but her guard was now up.

The emotion just smiled at her silence. "Starting to get the picture are we?"

Raven gave a sigh. She wasn't certain of what exactly this fragment of her emotions hoped to accomplish, but she was certain it wouldn't be pleasant. "So," Raven said impatiently, "Is the nature of this visit going to be a surprise, or do I have to guess?"

"Oh, come now. You're a bright girl," she teased, "Haven't you figured it out by now?"

Raven just stared down at her, waiting for her to drop a hint, uncertain of her motive.

"Hmmph," the emotion laughed. "Don't tell me you don't know."

Silence.

"Oh, come on!" she threw out her hands. "You've been standing here, making snappy remarks about all eyes being on the dancing animal over there, and you can't put two and two together?" she quirked her head at her. "Ya know, next to Robin, I think you just may be the dumbest smart person in this world."

"You don't really expect me to believe that I'm jealous over how well Beast Boy can play some trivial video game, do you?"

"Of course not. I expect you to believe you're jealous over all the attention 'everyone else' is paying to Beast Boy over how well he can play some trivial video game," the emotion answered, turning her attention to Beast Boy and the crowd still gathered around him.

"Not likely," Raven replied plainly.

"Thorough defense, as always," she sarcastically nodded. "Except, One, why else would I be here? Two, who else would there be around for you to be jealous over? And three, it was inevitable."

"What's that supposed to mean?" Raven said monotone, still looking straight ahead. She could follow the logic of the first two points she'd made, but she failed to see how Beast Boy, jealousy, and inevitable could fit in the same equation.

"Day in, day out, intertwining with one another's daily routine? You've been the center of Beast Boy's attention since this whole insipid wager began. And the first time he takes that attention off of you, a couple of pretty faces start falling all over him. How could you NOT be jealous? After all…"

Raven looked down at her to see a ripple of black energy wash over her, altering her appearance. Her cloak disappeared, her skin tone lightening, her hair growing out longer. Even her eyes merged together, dissipating the red glow about them for deep blue pupils. In an instant, she was the splitting image of Terra.

"… You remember what happened the last time he averted his attention," she said with a mocking smile. "Don't you?"

Raven's stomach tightened as she stared coldly at the image of the once friend and betrayer. But she had to tread carefully. She still didn't know what kind of intent this resentful emotion had. Some parts of her, like Rage, wanted to bring about destruction and chaos. If this envious emotional doppelganger's roots were indeed that of jealousy, she just might be trying to stir things up to get a rise out of her for nothing more than her own personal amusement. And thus far, it was starting to work.

"Can't really blame you," she sat down on the edge of the machine, playfully swinging her legs side to side. "I had so much to offer," she spoke with Terra's voice, completing the impersonation.

"You'll excuse me if I don't take to heart the words of a liar and a turncoat," she narrowed her eyes at her.

"Ya know, I might've been a traitor. But that doesn't make me a liar," she looked up at her with a smile. "How can you be jealous without honesty? If you weren't, I wouldn't even be here right now."

Raven crossed her arms, looking away. "Now, you're just being cynical."

"Am I? Or are you just afraid I'll talk more sense than you can?" Envy answered back, as if challenging her.

"Try me," Raven said simply, as if nothing she could say could surprise her.

"Fine. You want truth? The truth is that in many ways, you're everything that I'm not," she spoke from Terra's point of view. "You're rational, calm, focused, and always in complete control. Your will is unbreakable, which is a contributing factor to your indomitable inner strength." She looked out towards the floor.

Raven remained silent, momentarily caught off guard by the honest if not flattering remarks. And all of which from a part of her, from the perspective outside of her own. Envy was indeed a crafty emotion.

"It's what makes you a reliable and strong asset to your team and to your friends, and why you're a far greater hero than I ever was. It's also why you'll never be happy."

Raven visually flinched with a quick blink of the eye as Envy looked up at her.

"You can meditate all you want. You can drink tea till your kidneys drown. You can push all your surging emotions deep down as far as you can. But the control you work so hard for is so precious to you that your need for control is what controls you. And with so much yearning for control…"

Envy glanced at Beast Boy, causing Raven to do the same.

"… There's not much yearning left for anything else. Is there?" she calmly looked back up at her.

Raven slowly turned her eyes down to the floor.

"When this bet of yours is all over and done with, then what? You'll make a quick-witted remark about all this, label it as another pointless experience, and then move on. Beast Boy will still be Beast Boy. And you'll still be you."

"…"

"Granted, you may have accepted this fool hearty wager on a whim and for some little trinket of Cyborg's as a prize. But now you're starting to see it as… a little bit more than that, aren't you?"

Raven's pupils moved from side to side, seriously pondering her emotion's every word.

"You like the attention. The one-on-one interaction. The companionship. Not merely as two heroes on call for the city, but as something more personal. And not the daily humdrum routine from everyday life in the tower either. You just like the feeling of not being alone. And now you're starting to realize that it can't last. That it won't."

Raven looked up sharply at her.

"Look at them," Envy gestured to the still cheering scores of young girls surrounding the machine, to which Raven looked on. "Do you think you could offer him what any of them could? For that matter, do you think you could offer him what I could?"

She lowered her head.

"Tell me, I'm curious. What eats you up more? The fact that he warmed up to me? Or the fact that I opened up to him more in a day than you did in a year?"

Raven turned her back to her, finding it harder to listen.

"Ah, there it is. The realization finally dawns on you," she waggled a finger. "That you just can't be what I was. He's not with you for the companionship, just as a stipulation."

Her shoulders drooped.

"You're just a consolation prize," Envy leaned forward, narrowing her eyes with a smirk. "If nothing else, you're just keeping my place warm."

Overhead, a build up of black energy amassed, taking the form of a large mallet. It reeled backwards for a split second before dropping forward in a thunderous swoop.

"Uh oh," the emotion said under her breath as she was engulfed by its shadow, eyes opening wide. No doubt she'd overstepped her bounds.

**THWOMP!**

A mighty impact shook the floor, sending a brief tremor throughout the building. People all over the structure either stumbled or lost their balance completely as they fell to the ground.

The energy hammer lifted, dissipating almost instantly. The machine Envy was perched on was leveled, crushed like a soda can. Tickets typically dispensed from the machine rained down like confetti.

Raven let out a deep cleansing breath before turning around. She looked down at the crumpled mass metal and scraps to find Envy sprawled out, dazed but still conscious.

She had exhausted her energies to retain form outside of Raven's mind as she instantly reverted back to her original form of Raven's likeness. With a final crackling of energy she began to fade from the feet up. "I am so glad we had this chance to dialogue," she said casually as the energy rippled across her face, past her four glowing red eyes just as she vanished altogether.

Raven stared at the floor a few seconds even after she'd gone. Just how much truth had there been to her words?

Unfortunately, she had little time to ponder the matter as she noticed all eyes gradually turning to her in confusion and curiosity, having not noticed her until now. Her eyes darting from one side to the other, she swiftly made her way to the stairs.

Beast Boy sat up, having been knocked on his side in the middle of his game. He shook his head, almost able to faintly hear a rattling between his ears. "Dude," he said woozily, "Who set the floor to spin cycle?"

He scanned the room as two things immediately registered in his mind as capable of playing shake, rattle, and roll with a whole building. A natural disaster or…

That's when he noticed the shattered remains of the Whack-A-Mole machine. Turning his head fast in the opposite direction, he just barely caught sight of Raven making her way down the stairs in a hurry.

He got up, still a little disoriented but able to give chase. After one last quick glance to make sure no one was seriously injured, he followed after her.

A few of the now recovered onlookers barred his path. "Hey, are you okay?" and "What happened?" were only a few of the statements he could make out as he moved past them.

"Yeah, uh excuse me. Comin' through," he lightly pushed through. "Um, here. Use up these for me will ya," he handed a random person his remaining spare tokens as he finally got through the human roadblock.

oOoOoOo

Outside, Raven pushed open the doors, hastily putting distance between her and the arcade. She felt embarrassed, not to mention ashamed for having caused such a scene. She held her head, trying to regain focus, taking deep breaths.

"Raven! Hey, wait up!" came from behind her.

She didn't have to look, nor did she want to. She plainly knew who it was. She didn't slow or stop, but just kept walking.

"Hey, Raven," he called as he caught up, now trying to match pace with her. All the while panting to catch his breath from running after her. "Wh-What's wr-wrong?" he huffed between words.

Raven kept silent, her eyes keeping straight ahead.

"Was I takin' too long? I woulda' just left," he queried sympathetically.

She still didn't answer, keeping focused on the horizon as she tried to quiet the hundreds of thoughts barraging her mind.

"Are you hungry? I coulda' just ran and got you something. O-Or was it that machine? The one ya smashed? It was rigged wasn't it? Trust me, I been there."

Raven was all stirred up. The guilt she was trying to absolve herself of was gone, and a whole new one had taken its place. Partially aimed at herself, but strangely, she felt part of it aimed at Beast Boy. As if she wanted a part of him to feel guilty too. Envy had instilled so much doubt in her mind, she found it difficult to concentrate.

"Did ya have to go to the bathroom? Cause they had…"

Raven stopped dead in her tracks, turning to face him. "I'M NOT TERRA!"

Beast Boy froze to the spot, dumbfounded, his face a total blank in shock. His expression visually seemed to say, 'where did that come from?'

Raven quickly slapped a hand over her mouth. In her lapse of concentration, she'd just blurted out whatever had been going through her mind as a result of recent events. As if on cue, a streetlamp popped overhead, showering down specs of broken glass. Raven lifted her arm to shield herself, but Beast Boy just remained still, letting the tiny fragments of glass sprinkle onto his hair.

Raven stared, just looking at his empty face. Not an easy expression for one so playful and full of life as Beast Boy to make. Up until now that is. Mentioning Terra, even by name alone, was like opening an old wound.

She lowered her hood as if to account for her poor choice in words. "Beast Boy, I…" she paused, trying to think of what to say, "I didn't… here, let me…" she reached out to dust off the glass from his hair.

Beast Boy morphed into an armadillo, rolling into a tightly armored ball and dropping to the ground with a clunk.

"Beast Boy," Raven called. She knocked on the thick exterior of the armadillo's bulky shell. "Beast Boy, I didn't mean…" she picked up the green leathery ball.

Just as Raven lifted him up he morphed again, this time into a porcupine, several of his sharp green quills sticking Raven in her hands.

"OW!" she yelled, dropping the porcupine, which morphed into a turtle upon landing on the ground, pulling itself inside its protective shell. Raven shook her hand to briefly let off the pain. If she hadn't felt she had that coming, she would've punted the little green creature sixty yards like a football.

"Beast Boy!" she exclaimed, kneeling down trying to peer inside the turtle shell, "I'm trying to say that I'm sorry."

No response, neither verbal nor physical.

"Beast Boy, the silent treatment doesn't work on me," she stared at the shell defiantly. She continued to stare for a full minute before realizing she was just staring at a shell.

The turtle didn't make a sound.

Raven hung her head with a sigh. "One of my emotional counterparts made a surprise appearance and put all these thoughts in my head, not to mention doubt, and jealousy, and…" she stammered, wishing to explain herself, but not reveal too much before she herself could understand it. "…And I didn't mean to upset you." She looked off to the side before looking back soulfully. "I'm sorry."

Another minute passed and still no kind of reaction on Beast Boy's part.

"Beast Boy?" she asked, hesitantly reaching for the shell out of fear he would morph again. She was able to pick up the shell without it altering form. She looked it over, peering into the largest gap in the shell, which she deduced to be the hole for the head to poke out of. "Beast Boy, can you even hear me?"

She held it up to eye level, peeking inside. All of a sudden the shell started to grow in size as Beast Boy morphed once more, this time back to his human form. The sudden increase in weight and size too much for Raven to hold, she fell forward with a yell, tumbling to the ground.

She quickly shook off the slight disorientation of the fall, though not hurt, as Beast Boy had broken her landing. Raven lay on top of him, raising her head from his chest to find Beast Boy's green eyes staring back at her, sitting up. It was a quiet moment, which was quite infrequent, as such an act usually followed with Beast Boy anxiously trying to apologize. But that wasn't the case. If anything, Raven was the one whose mind was tensely trying to produce a reply. Except everything that came to mind started with the words, 'I'm sorry, but…' or 'I didn't mean to, but…'

Envy still had sunk some degree of logic into her train of thought. And while Raven was genuinely apologetic for using Terra's name in such a crass and thoughtless manner, she felt as though there were some validation to her claim. Raven wasn't Terra, and would never try to be. And if in fact that was what Beast Boy had considered her as, even if by the slightest regard, then it was best to get it out in the open sooner than later.

"I…" Raven began.

"Dude, that was harsh," Beast Boy said quietly.

Raven leaned against her shoulder looking away. Frigid seemed more appropriate, but she appeared to consent to Beast Boy's evaluation. "I know. And I'm sorry."

"Why would you think, that I would think, to think of you as Terra? I think," he scratched his head. Beast Boy's way of jumbling words shined through even in the most serious of moments.

"Beast Boy, I know that you and… 'her'," Raven was carefully not to bring up Terra's name again without careful consideration, "Had a lot of fun together. That you shared a lot with her, and that she brought out good things in you. But… I just can't be that."

Beast Boy tilted his head. "Ya mean, that's what's buggin' ya?"

Raven didn't answer, but just stared at him as if quietly nodding.

"Raven, have you ever asked me to be anybody else around you?" he asked.

"If only that were possible," she rolled her eyes reminiscing a few occasions where his immaturity had almost been his undoing.

"Okay, ok. Tellin' me to grow up or act my age doesn't count," he pointed at her. He paused, glancing down at the ground. "Even if I do kinda' get on your nerves a little. Actually… more like a LOT. Or when I act like a total goof. Or talk about all the stuff that makes me sound like complete nerd. Or when…"

"Beast Boy," she interrupted his slander campaign of himself, hoping there was a point to be found amongst all this.

"Uh… right! The point is, you never tell me to act more like anybody else. Ya never say to follow somebody else as an example. You never compare me to anybody. You just accept me as… well… me."

Raven just blinked. Amazing how if you were patient with Beast Boy long enough how he could surprise you.

"You've never thought of me as anybody else. So why the heck do you think I would ever think of you as anybody but you," he shrugged.

Raven looked into his eyes. Beast Boy had an extremely honest face, and usually, it was very easy to tell when he exaggerated or just flat out lied. And this was not one of those times.

"Um, did that make sense?" he asked nervously.

Raven gave a small smile and nodded. Beast Boy equally returned the smile and just looked at each other with a quiet sort of content between them. Eventually, giving way to relief.

"Well," Raven started, breaking the long silence, "I'm glad that was resolved before any kind commotion could develop."

"Um, Raven?" Beast Boy said, pointing to the side, hinting she should have a look.

Raven turned to find that even though it was late, the streets were far from deserted, as everything and everyone around them had stopped to take in the spectacle they'd made of themselves. Businessmen in suits staring from across the street, a couple on a bench, a manager of a late night news stand, people sitting down to burgers in the diner next door watching through the windows, even a few cars stopped in the street had come to a standstill to watch the both of them.

Raven's face froze, momentarily forgetting that while all of this was going on, she was still laying on top of the green boy beneath her. It was the kind of silence that made you reluctant to move, even if to get away. Where even the sound of a pin dropping would be a welcome distraction.

"Mommy?" a little girl nearby tugged on her mother's sleeve, who'd also been among the spectators, "Is she gonna' get sick if she kisses the green boy?"

The mother quickly covered her daughter's eyes, not chancing what the two teens on the ground might lead to in such a position.

Her face flushed.

"Raven? Um, do think maybe you could…" Beast Boy hinted.

Taking firm grip of Beast Boy's shoulder and with a quick motion, the both of them were engulfed by a black energy field as they dematerialized through the sidewalk and out of view.

oOoOoOo

A few moments later back at the tower, Raven and Beast Boy walked side by side down the corridor to Beast Boy's room. Overall, it was an assorted experience to rank. On the one hand, Raven had the opportunity to spend some time in a public setting. She experienced a more thorough perception of the world of video games and their appeal, and though she would hardly put them before any of her hard covered reading preferences, she could at the very least deem them a plausible last resort for entertainment purposes. Yet on the other hand, a bustling arcade was prime territory for any number of personal circumstances to go awry. It was doubtful she'd be making a return trip any time soon. Unless of course, she managed to riddle herself with guilt again.

"Well, that could've gone worse," Raven reflected with a hint of sarcasm, her hood up once more.

"I told ya you had nothin' to worry about," he wagged a finger at her.

Raven just glanced at him from the side as they approached the doorway, unable to tell if he was being equally sarcastic.

"Well, thank you for a… 'unique' evening," Raven tried to compliment the night as much as possible without sounding pessimistic. Though she wished that the precious time Beast Boy had spent at the arcade could've ended a little less unpredictably on account of her unintentional outburst.

Beast Boy merely gave a small nod in response, seeming distracted, as he didn't make direct eye contact.

"Good night," Raven added softly, turning back the way she came.

She barely made it three steps. "Um… Raven?" Beast Boy choked out.

Raven turned back to see Beast Boy nervously rubbing his shoulder. It was his tell, like in gambling when you visually tip someone off that you're bluffing. Except that with Beast Boy, it was a sign that he was anxious about something.

"Look, about earlier. After you bolted outta' the arcade, and… what you said…"

Raven lowered her eyes to the floor. "You don't have to say anything, Beast Boy. Again, I deeply regret bringing it up. I know that it's something you don't like to bring up."

"It is. And… it isn't," he held his hands behind his back. "But I could see why ya mighta' thought what you did, or maybe what a part of you did. So, I just wanted to kinda' set the record straight."

Raven watched his face as he took a deep breath, training his vision to the floor.

"I got attached to Terra because she was sorta' like me. We… both got thrown into the hero business at an early age, we both got powers we never asked for, and we both tried to be normal in our own way. I mean, that much could be said for you too."

Raven just listened, Beast Boy still not taking his eyes off the ground.

"She didn't really mind that, even with the pressures of havin' powers and stuff, that I still tried to act like a regular kid. Actually, she enjoyed it. She did the same thing. I kinda' felt like she was the kind of person I woulda' liked to have around when I first got my powers. To have somebody to talk to who knew what it was like, ya know?" he gave a hint of a faded smile. "I think she thought of me in the same way, especially since she was still havin' trouble with hers when we first met. That just felt… I don't know… easy to be around."

He gave a short pause.

"And then… I got to know you a little better, Raven," he finally brought his eyes up, but stared at the wall just past her. "That was… different. It was NOT easy," he smirked. "And that's kinda' what made it fun. So, I don't ever what ya to think that I expect you to fill anybody's shoes other than your own. Cause, just bein' you is what made me share stuff with you that I never shared with Terra."

He finally looked straight at her as he exhaled, feeling a load off his chest.

Raven looked as if she'd been struck in the back of the head, her eyes dazed. And though there was no way for him to tell, her face was burning. But in a good way. Beast Boy was usually quick on the mouth and slow on the brain, so to hear him form something so deep and thoughtful was quite a character builder. Not to mention downright gratifying.

"So… I hope that ya don't get any more thoughts like that. Okay?"

"…"

"Um, Raven?" he asked, somewhat concerned. "Raven? You in there?" he waved a hand in front of her face.

"Wha!" she snapped out of her trance, clearing her throat. "Y-yes. Thank you, Beast Boy."

The sight of Raven being lost in thought brings a grin to Beast Boy's face, digging his hands into his pockets. A sudden look a remembrance dawns on his face as he feels something in his left pocket. "Oh, hey! I almost forgot."

Raven curiously watched Beast Boy pull something from his pants pocket.

"I was gonna' give this to you earlier, but with all the… ya know… everything that happened afterwards…"

Raven just looked at him as he stared into his hand as if deliberating whether or not to give it to her.

"It's not much. But, it's just a little thank you. Ya know, for going to the arcade?" He opened his hand to reveal a small aluminum ring. On top of which was a small round setting with a sticker of a fluttering blue bird. No doubt an inexpensive token prize from the arcade ticket booth. "Ya didn't have to, but ya did anyway. And… I'm really glad ya did."

Raven just stared curiously at the ring.

"I got it with the tickets from ski ball. Ya know, after the mishap," he rubbed the sore spot of the back of his head, still able to feel the trick shot that won it. "I didn't know if you'd want it on account of your powers and all, and if you don't, I totally under-"

Raven raised her hand.

Beast Boy looked at her outstretched hand, looking up at her deadpan expression.

"Well?" she said bashfully, averting her eyes.

It had taken a second or two for it to click in his mind that she was accepting the ring. Beast Boy gently took her hand and slipped the ring on her finger. Raven pulled her hand back, holding it up away from her chin for closer inspection.

"It's kinda crummy but…" he added.

Raven looked away from the ring to meet eyes with him. "It's very nice."

Beast Boy gave a delayed smile as soon as he deemed she was content. "Well, I got me a memento, too." He rolled up his sleeve to reveal a tattoo of a black bird on his arm, most likely intended as a raven, but it was difficult to say for certain as it was relatively small.

Raven was somewhat taken aback. "I didn't know the arcade had a tattoo parlor…" she raised an eyebrow.

"They don't," he shrugged, "It's a rub on tattoo. I had a few tickets leftover, so I got this. It'll come off the next time I take a bath."

"So in other words, it's permanent?" she mocked.

Beast Boy gave a dry laugh, which in turn forced Raven to hold in a small authentic giggle of her own.

The door to Beast Boy's room opened. "Well, I think it's safe to say I'm gonna' sleep like a baby tonight," he stretched with a yawn, worn out from his workout on the dance machines. "Um… good night, Raven," he stopped, looking back from inside the doorway with a grin, "And thanks again." And with that, he walked inside, the door closing behind him.

Raven remained glued to the spot for a moment or two before slowly turning on her heel back down the hall, all the while a somewhat proud smile faintly drawing across her lips as she lowered her hood, drawing back her hair with her hand, pausing to look at the ring one last time. Illustrating that perhaps the day hadn't been a total disaster after all.

If Envy were to show her face now, she'd probably have hugged her.

Then, she'd have pushed her out the window.

**Next Chapter:** What began as just a nightly excursion has manifested into Raven questioning just what the nature of her bond between her and BeastBoy is, and perhaps what it can be. But will that remain constant when BeastBoy in turn begins to wonder if it's even a possibility when the past lingers in his mind?


	16. A Kick in the Past

Almost two years. Almost two years without an update. Almost two years of hindrances and obstacles thrown my way by life. Almost two years of reassuring readers the story isn't dead. Almost two years of fate conspiring against me.

…

I just wanted to see how many times I could say 'Almost Two Years' without resisting the urge to render blunt force trauma to my person.

YEAH, ALMOST TWO YEARS!

*PUNCH*

*BLEED*

*CRY*

In all seriousness, my most sincere apologies for the exceedingly long wait for anyone out there checking up on my story (apparently more than a few gauging from my e-mails and notes on DeviantArt) We all have to work, and mine has been more sporadic than I would've liked. I'm not gonna go into detail cause I know the last thing anybody wants are long winded excuses. Just know that it was NEVER about not knowing what to write, only the time needed to write.

I dried as many tears as I could, trying to reassure and PM back as many readers as possible with the exception of anonymous reviewers for obvious reasons. But even after all the time that's passed, people still offer me the most touching outpourings of appreciation for the story, and for that I thank you from the bottom of my heart. I can only hope this lives up to your expectations.

**Quality Time**

**Chapter 16:** **A Kick in the Past**

It was a bitter morning as heavy footsteps clunked against the floor. Cyborg stretched his arms in a yawn before scratching the back of his head as he trudged further along the tower's hallway. As a full time crime fighter he had been no stranger to long nights. Just not this exhausting. At least battling bad guys never meant excessive maintenance afterwards. He'd spent the better part of what felt like a night and half getting caught up on the all too long list of backlogged repairs around the tower. And that was only after he'd put Raven's room back the way it was the night before. But at long last there was a light at the end of the tunnel. Ninety four percent of the tower's primary systems were now back up and running at normal efficiency. All of the regular security and scanner systems had been inspected and finely tuned. And all but a few minor communication functions were now back online. He'd also made certain to double the insulation of the wires and add a significant number of backup surge protectors to the primary power conduits to insure something like this never happened again. In a nutshell, it had been a very long night. Fighting over zealous megalomaniacs and super villains was a breeze by comparison.

It was amazing just how much work could pile up in just a few short days. But that was due to the fact that the tower wasn't just their home. It was also their staging area, their monitoring station, their training facility, and served every other essential need for a team of heroes keeping vigilant watch over an entire city. What's more, it had never been more apparent that of all the technological superiority the tower had to offer, both for everyday living and for around the clock surveillance of the city, just how much of it fell solely on Cyborg's shoulders. Sure everyone knew how to operate and access most of the basic consoles and equipment, but when something went haywire Cyborg was the only one with the know how to fix it. It was enough to demand a raise, if only he were getting paid.

Of course that could be chalked up to being a technological wonder himself. He wouldn't trust most of the integral systems to most of the others anyway. Raven wasn't exactly techno savvy and BeastBoy wouldn't know a microchip from a potato chip without one being accompanied by dip. And even though Starfire, while knowledgeable from a culture and technology far surpassing Earth's, he just felt a little uneasy having the same girl who could use a bus as a hammer throw tinkering with such delicate electronics.

"One thing's for sure," he mused to himself, checking his power cell, "Gotta' give somebody else a crash course on how to keep this stuff up an runnin'."

As Cyborg rounded the corner into the main corridor BeastBoy and Raven came into view, entering from the adjacent hallway. Almost instantly Cyborg's demeanor changed, sporting a sly grin. Seeing them continue to honor this ongoing wager was more than enough to renew his spirits. He'd honestly didn't think it would last as long as it had. And even though they weren't as uneasy or anxious around each other as from the start, which took away most of the fun, it certainly made things a lot more interesting around the tower.

"Good morning," he greeted with a spring in his step.

Raven shifted her eyes to the side, quickly able to recognize Cyborg fishing for any kind of occurrence between her and BeastBoy to make his day. "Good morning, Cyborg," she returned plainly.

"Hey, Cy," BeastBoy followed, trailing a few steps behind Raven.

Cyborg walked beside Raven who didn't say another word. Which was to be expected. Raven had never been a very talkative person, especially in the early morning. Aside from 'Good morning, no thanks, or shut up, BeastBoy', there wasn't much Raven needed to say or talk about this early.

He looked back at BeastBoy who still lingered behind. "You doin' alright B?"

BeastBoy gave no immediate response, looking as if in a daze. "Huh? Oh, yeah. Good," he gave a nervous nod.

Cyborg looked at the young shape shifter funny. Not in the conventional 'ha ha' funny, but more of a 'what's with him?' funny. Regardless, he shifted focus back to Raven. He knew they weren't going to make it easy for him but how was he supposed to give them a hard time about anything at this rate?

"So…" he began, realizing if he was going to get anything out of them he was going to have to make a move, "Your room back the way ya like it, Raven?" he asked, poorly masking an opportunity to boast about his quality workmanship on the repairs he'd made to her room in record time.

"Adequate. Thank you," she answered.

"Adequate?" he said, somewhat hoping for a more flattering praise on his hard work, "I worked my servos to the max, fighting off frost bite, and keeping my parts warm by downin' hot coffee and anti-freeze. And all I get is an 'Adequate'?"

Raven was silent.

Cyborg slumped in his step. Considering he'd cause the need for repair to begin with perhaps he wasn't entitled to more of a pat on the back. In fact just by her not psychically crushing his outer frame like a soda can in a pair of vice grips was enough to call it even. Still…

"Would ya like it if I installed a guest room in case you'd like to have company over?" he joked quietly with a waggle of his eyebrow in BeastBoy's direction.

"Would you like it if I made it so you have to carry your head to the breakfast table?" she replied, looking straight ahead.

Cyborg gave a nervous smile, taking the hint to drop the joke. "Uh…How was the arcade?" he quickly changed the subject.

"Fine," Raven answered in her routine deadpan manner.

A short silence absent of details followed.

"Ya have fun?" Cyborg probed again.

"Yes," she blankly replied.

Cyborg raised an eyebrow. Raven admitting to fun? Or was this her casual sarcasm talking? Perhaps another approach was in order.

"How bad did ya do, BeastBoy?" he looked back with a teasing smile.

"Um, my usual," he said casually, having tuned in and out of the conversation.

Cyborg tilted his head, baffled. For the sure fire conversation starter topic of BeastBoy in an arcade, he gave an awfully Raven-like answer. "BB, you feelin' alright?" Cy asked with a hint of concern.

"Who? Me?" he pointed at himself. "Uh, yeah. Yeah, I'm fine." BeastBoy straightened his posture a bit, bolstering a smile. "Just, ya know, a little out of it. Wore myself out on games last night so bad all I wanted to do was crash for a week and as soon as I get in bed, couldn't sleep a wink. Weird, huh?" he finished with a tense chuckle.

Raven's eyes panned to the side, barely turning her head towards BeastBoy. He seemed rested enough, but something seemed to be on his mind. Something distracting him from his usual playful and outgoing demeanor. The day had just started and he'd spoken three or four complete sentences without one use of the word 'dude'.

She had a fairly accurate guess too. The instance of Terra brought up in hardly the most ingenuous manner must've gotten to him more than she'd initially thought. A major blunder on her part but BeastBoy understood it wasn't intentional.

The last few days had further amplified her knowledge and understanding of BeastBoy, but even she didn't have to know someone all that well to know insincerity when she saw it. And if that indeed was the cause it was a wonder he could force a smile and still make it seem genuine. Still, a little positive reinforcement couldn't hurt.

"He got a high score and taught me how to a play a zombie game," she commented in a dull tone.

Cyborg looked from Raven back at BeastBoy.

"Uh, Yeah! Ya shoulda' seen it Cy. C'mon," he shuffled alongside with a grin, taking hold of Cy's metal shoulder, quickening their pace ahead of Raven, "Dude, I'll totally give ya the play by play."

Just a few steps past her, BeastBoy bragged with exaggerated details accompanied by the occasional gesture to his dance performance at the arcade. All of which were greeted by doubtful laughs and rebutting remarks on Cyborg's behalf.

Raven cast her eyes straight ahead as they went ahead. He didn't seem to be fighting back anger or resentment towards her and he was still acting like himself. He would be all right. He just needed a little time to push that unfortunate occurrence out of his mind.

"Hey by the way," Cyborg began as they were drawing closer to the end of the corridor, "Has anybody heard from…"

The main room doors whooshed open.

The three teens paused as they looked inside to find Robin casually sitting at the table with a newspaper in one hand and a cup of coffee in the other. Starfire too was present, closing a cabinet door after having just fetched a plate for her toast which sprung from the toaster. Robin looked up from the paper as the main room's door closed.

"Oh, good morning friends," Starfire beamed with a warm smile, "I bid you most joyous greetings."

The three stood as one, caught off guard. They'd been absent from the tower for days, and now here they were. Out of the blue, just there as if nothing had ever happened. They were unsure of how to react. On the one hand they were relieved to see the both of them were safe and back home. On the other, they'd disappeared without any word of their whereabouts and neglected their duties. If the shoe were on the other foot and any of them had taken off so abruptly, Robin would be reading them the riot act.

"Uh… Hiya, Star," BeastBoy was the first to respond with a small wave, briefly looking to Cyborg for guidance on what he should say next.

"Everything…okay?" Raven followed, studying the two of them curiously.

"We're fine," Robin assured with a nod and a smile, setting down the paper.

"Where ya been?" Cyborg asked with a shrug, "I was startin' to think maybe you were seein' other heroes behind our backs."

"Friend Cyborg, your worries are unfounded. We would never seek heroes when you are turned around," Starfire professed. "And I have you missed you all so."

Starfire ascended into the air high enough to clear the table before flying towards her three friends at a quick but safe speed. She clutched Cyborg in a firm hug, as was made evident by the sound of metal crinkling.

"I have missed friend Cyborg and the boo-yahs,"

She quickly released him, moving onto BeastBoy, seizing him in an equally overpowering hug of unbridled emotion.

"I have missed friend BeastBoy and his humor most amusing."

BeastBoy smiled through the pain, trying to take his mind off his internal organs deflating. She then released him with a smile, allowing him to replenish oxygen capacity to his lungs.

"And I have missed friend Raven's…"

Starfire came to an abrupt halt, struggling to find a daily activity of hers to highlight.

"… I have missed friend Raven," she hugged all the same at a loss for words to define Raven.

Raven gritted her teeth with as best a smile as she could muster, also taking the pain in stride with the soreness that was sure to follow. Starfire released her arms from around Raven, who stumbled a step backwards.

In spite of the aches that would linger for the next couple minutes, it was difficult to take exception to Starfire and her emotion driven strength. Even though she had excellent control of her powers, she was still prone to get carried away from time to time.

"Come Raven, I have prepared your morning tea," Starfire happily guided Raven towards a simmering kettle on the stove, which helped to further sooth her fleeting injury.

Robin watched with a smile as Starfire led her into the kitchen area, about to resume reading the paper. Suddenly he felt a pair of hands pull him aside, jerking him to the far side of the table.

"Alright, man. What happened?" Cyborg whispered to remain out of earshot from Starfire.

"Yeah. What gives?" BeastBoy added, his own curiosity equally high. "Last time I saw you, Star was hot on your tail, chasing you clean outta' the tower, you go M.I.A. for like ever, and now suddenly POOF! You're back here like nothin' happened." BeastBoy leaned in, narrowing his eyes as he closely inspected Robin's face. "Star give you some kinda' weird alien mind wipe or somethin'?" he tapped Robin's forehead.

Robin casually swatted away BeastBoy's hand. "I'm fine guys. Seriously."

"Then how bout' you start 'seriously' fillin' in some of the blanks here. Ya know we got every right to be ticked at you for bailin' on us like that," Cyborg crossed his arms at the boy wonder.

"Yeah. It don't look so hot on your leader resume to just take unannounced holidays," BeastBoy lightly scolded.

Robin hung his head off to the side, unable to argue with them. As he'd never intended to in the first place. He'd let a personal problem hinder his duty and breach the safety and trust of his team. He was expected to set far better examples and standards than abandoning his post.

"So what happened with you two?" Cy asked.

"Yeah. Star set ya straight? Or… the other way around?" BeastBoy continued.

"There was nothing that needed to be set straight, BeastBoy. It was just… a misunderstanding. That's all," Robin gave a delayed reply.

"Most misunderstandings end with, 'my bad' or 'sorry I got the wrong idea'. Not with a disappearing act," Cyborg pointed out.

Robin was quiet.

"So?" Cyborg repeated. Not that anything had truly happened in his absence, but to still be left with so much to do, he still felt entitled to some degree of explanation. He'd even settle for an extravagant lie at this point.

"So…" Robin began, getting up from the table.

Raven tuned up her ear as she sipped her tea beside Starfire, noticing movement on Robin's behalf. While gossip inside the tower was not an interest of hers, her adolescent inclined curiosity had still managed to get the better of her as she had listened in on the boy's loose discussion with their friend and leader. She too had been mildly curious as to their whereabouts as much as anybody.

"…Now, I apologize," Robin said with a deep breath, the need to explain himself no longer able to be put off. "Cyborg… BeastBoy… Raven," he addressed.

Raven and Starfire both turned to face Robin as Cyborg and BeastBoy continued to listen intently for whatever came next. It wasn't often that Robin made mistakes, at least that they were aware of. It was even less frequent that if he did, it was anything really worth apologizing over. But this wasn't like a command decision that had backfired or poor judgment or conduct. This was something far more personal.

"A… situation unfolded a few days ago. A 'unique' situation that I was ill prepared to deal with and so I left the tower. I did so without explanation or retaining any form of contact. I put the tower and the team at great risk, as well as the welfare of the city. I'm sorry," he explained sincerely. "Fault is entirely on me and me alone. Starfire only left the tower to bring me back, to which I avoided. An equally poor decision on my part. And it will not happen again," Robin concluded.

Starfire stepped towards her friend, placing a hand on his shoulder. "Robin, we are merely relieved you are unharmed."

"Yeah, man. Usually the only reason ya take off like that is if you're tracking down a lead or followin' up on something big. Like 'Slade' big. Just worried you were in over your head." Cyborg assured him. "Can't pull your spikey-haired butt outta' the fire if we don't know where ya are."

Robin gave a nod and a smile at both sentiments. A huge weight was lifted, and while he still felt bad about the whole ordeal, it was a step in the right direction. Now if only this whole unpleasantness could be put behind them without having to further explain why he…

"I too must apologize," Starfire spoke up. "I was unaware that such things as sleeping in another's nocturnal sleep chamber or Tamaranian healing remedies could cause most worrisome problems."

Too late.

"Uh, Star… Really it's ok. It's not your…" Robin tried to cut her off.

"No, it most certainly is not. I should have been more well informed about such things," she regretfully explained, "Had I known your reaction would be so… um… what is the phrase I am searching for?"

"Outta whack?" BeastBoy offered with an optimistic grin.

"Yes," she gave her green friend a smile of appreciation, "Had I known it would make you so 'out of the whack', I would never have…"

"It's fine Star really," Robin still mustered to do damage control by not letting any more personal details out. There was no need to dwell on what had already transpired if it could be avoided. "You had no way of knowing."

Starfire looked at Robin, still with a look of apology and deep regret.

"It's no big deal. What's done is done. Honestly," he reinforced his earlier statements, hoping she would just drop the matter altogether. "It's okay."

Starfire closed her eyes as she lowered her head, Robin only to guess if she had taken the hint. She then looked back up; eyes open wide with a comforting smile returning to her face. Robin returned the smile as well as she took Robin's hands in her own.

"Very well. But… know that I feel permitted to share this scornful blame," she clarified. "And I shall later partake of the Zornian muck fungus as atonement for my unaware complications visited on you."

The others could only guess what muck fungus was. No doubt another otherworldly dish of unknown origin. Usually Starfire had an alien meal that was synonymous with counteracting a certain emotional state. But if it was anything like her sadness pudding it was sure to be one not worth sampling.

Starfire started back towards the table to her breakfast before it went cold.

"Oh! And do not worry. I swear on the moons of Razmaq I shall never create such undoings by going into your quarters or offering Tamaranian recovery treatment again," she smiled innocently.

Robin was left with vacant look on his face as she sat back down at the breakfast table. "Umm… thanks?" It was a good news/bad news scenario. Good for the sake of the team. Bad for furthering a deep relationship, as was verified by the varying looks sympathy and amusement from his teammates.

"Dude," BeastBoy shook his head.

"Shot down before he even took off," Cyborg pitied.

Raven merely rolled her eyes at the both of them and took her tea back over to the table.

Robin cleared his throat, breaking his momentary lapse of thought. "In any case, combat practice right after breakfast," he sat back at the table beside Starfire as she bit into a slice of toast. "We're long overdue for a training session."

No one seemed to argue. Ever since the storm that'd hit that caused most of the towers systems to go on the fritz the heavy rains had previously turned the obstacle course along the inner perimeter of the island into a thick layer of mud. But by now the conditions outside were much better suited to the Titan's rigorous training regiment. The terrain was now firm again and able to maintain their footing better, the machinery hidden throughout the course could function unhindered by the elements, and it was always a good idea for anyone in the hero business to undergo some manner of conditioning.

Cyborg sat down with a plate of home fries and eggs barely visible over the mounds of bacon, sausage, a slab of ham stacked on top. Cyborg was a growing boy who was never shy on his protein intake, but mostly he just loved getting a rise out of BeastBoy at the table whenever possible. Star offered to fetch him a cup of coffee, but Cyborg politely declined. Not that he was opposed to caffeine early in the morning but Starfire had developed this occasional habit of adding mustard to the pot.

He sat across from Robin at the table, continuing to sneak an occasional look his way, which was usually accompanied by his familiar teasing smirk. He just knew there was more to the story that Robin would not let him in on and while he respected their leader's privacy it was a tolerable nuisance he'd have to pay.

Raven sat at the end of the table taking another sip of herbal tea. Raven was never big on breakfast as was apparent by the half of an English muffin on her plate with a dollop of butter. She just required enough nourishment to start the day and typically muster sufficient energy should there be trouble, which rarely occurred so early in the day.

BeastBoy stood in the kitchen, pouring milk into a bowl of cereal before returning the milk carton to the refrigerator. Stirring the bowl to evenly wet the cereal he started towards the table to join the others.

An audible chomp of BeastBoy downing his first spoonful of cereal with a steady crunch caused Raven to crack an eye as she took another sip of tea, noticing the green boy making his way towards the group. Reluctantly, she scooted over to the side to make room for him to sit beside her. Not that she was opposed to sharing the table with him but when it came to cereal BeastBoy was a notoriously noisy eater.

BeastBoy looked up from his bowl, stopping just short of the table. His eyes quickly shifted to the side as he began walking hastily to the opposite end of the table, sitting beside Cyborg. It wasn't more than a few seconds before the usual debate ensued.

"Dude, seriously!" he started, flailing his spoon in the air at the sight of Cyborg's large meat ratio on his plate, "How much animal do you have to scarf down in one meal?"

"Hey, if they weren't supposed to be eaten, they wouldn't be so delicious," he grinned as he bit into a strip of bacon.

"What if somebody fried me up? Would ya eat me too?"

"Depends on the sauce."

BeastBoy just stuck out his tongue in response to which Cyborg gave a chuckle. Starfire and Robin also shared a smile at their spirited morning routine making them all the more grateful to be back home and among friends. Raven on the other hand just looked somewhat suspiciously at BeastBoy from down the table before quickly looking down at her English muffin before anyone could notice.

Odd. BeastBoy could've easily avoided that all too common dispute just by sitting next to her. At least that was what she pondered as she bit down into her muffin. Then again, maybe he considered it his patriotic duty to animals to go out of his way once in a while to hassle a carnivore. Not that she cared one way or the other. But still she would sneak a skeptical look his way every so often at the table.

Ever since the day before when she lashed out Raven had been somewhat worried that BeastBoy would revert like he did the last time she popped off at him. That he would just cease behaving like himself and act like a hollow shell of his former being. And while this was a positive sign that he was still himself after the instance at the arcade it still bugged her for some reason. That, coupled with him distancing himself somewhat in the hall this morning left her to wonder.

Maybe she was just being a bit paranoid. Maybe given the history of past occurrences with BeastBoy and guilt was starting to form an unhealthy practice of second guessing herself. Regardless, she would have to keep an eye on him.

Breakfast concluded as the Titans made their way outside of the lower level of the tower and out into the practice grounds around the base of the island. Sure enough the terrain was stable as the sun beat down revealing not an ounce of waterlogged dirt to be seen. There was a cool breeze outside and conditions were optimal for a morning workout.

The course was divided into sections. Each specifically designed for testing different aspects and conditions of combat. It was fitted with a variety of automated obstacles and deterrents, programmed to be triggered at random intervals throughout the course. Some would become active by motion sensors, some set off by stepping into certain areas, but no run of the course was exactly the same. This helped to keep the Titans from memorizing the course and from becoming lax in their training. If they couldn't anticipate and adapt to changes in the course how could they be expected to adapt to armed criminals and super villains?

Robin and Cyborg stood in front a fairly midsize console, overlooking the layout of the course and making certain that all equipment was functioning normally. A quick diagnostic confirmed everything to be working properly and that training was ready to commence.

Normally, combat practice typically began with singles training where each Titan ran the course individually as a warm up. But because they'd been without training for several days Robin instead opted that they jump right into team training, which meant two Titans ran the course at the same time. It helped to better develop their harmony and organization as a group and to better utilize one another's strengths, as well as keep their respective weaknesses from being exploited. It was important that each member of the team be able to recognize when they could be best used to assist others both offensively and defensively.

"So, who's steppin' up to the plate first?" Cyborg asked, calibrating the instruments on the panel to prep the course.

"I will," Robin volunteered with a brief stretch. Limbering up his arms and legs he stepped towards the starting position.

"I wish to as well," Starfire announced, flying beside him, "May I join you?"

Robin gave a nod and a smile. Starfire touched down on the ground with a warm smile of her own.

Cyborg stood at the ready by the console with BeastBoy and Raven beside him. The control station was also designated as a safe zone. The surrounding obstacles were programmed not to fix on anyone within proximity of the control console. One of the many fail/safes Cyborg had installed in the course. They could watch the course be run without fear of stray obstacles bearing down on them, as well as turn off the course if need be.

He punched in a few last commands. "Alright, everything looks good up here. You guys ready?" he asked, finger over a green button.

"Oh yes, I am much ready to commence preparations for rumbling," Starfire called with a thumbs up.

"Ready to rumble," Robin translated with a small laugh.

"That too," she smiled.

Cyborg returned Starfire's thumbs up as Robin gave a nod. "Then let's get this party started." He pushed the button as a loud buzzer sounded.

Instantly the two were off and running as training was underway. Starfire was quick to take to the air as to better scout oncoming threats from a low altitude. Robin meanwhile sprinted ahead.

A short distance ahead, three metal cylinders rose up from the ground. Turning to face the two incoming heroes, small circular openings were briefly visible before long metallic tentacles sprung out at them. Outstretched and lunging towards them at high speed they swiped at them from every direction, trying to ensnare them.

Robin darted from side to side, bo staff drawn. A spin past one, a flip over another, and then sliding underneath one more he cleared the first wave with ease. Another metal limb shot directly at him, brushing it aside with a quick swing of his staff.

Starfire followed overhead letting loose a barrage of starbolts, ripping through the tentacles that had missed before they could come around for another swipe at Robin. Suddenly one managed to hook itself on Starfire's ankle, yanking her towards the ground with an "EEP!"

Quick to react Robin vaulted over the last of the incoming attacks, spinning in mid air to hurl a bird-a-rang from his utility belt. It whizzed right through the metal exterior, severing the tentacle and exposing its inner wiring.

Starfire recovered swiftly, able to pull out of the dive and climb back into the air while shaking loose the scrap of metal dangling from her foot.

Robin hurried past the cylinders as Starfire dive-bombed towards them, arms outstretched, clotheslining the cylinders with such force they were uprooted from the ground.

On the far side of a narrow ridge four miniature launchers sprang up, immediately training on Starfire. They began firing volleys of exploding disc-like projectiles, similar to the kind Robin used in his arsenal. The discs flew high up into the air, exploding in front of Starfire just enough to disorient her. However Starfire was quick to shake it off.

Her eyes glowed bright green, building a charge. With a flick of her brow she fired a dual beam of explosive green energy, sweeping it along the ground, wiping out all four launchers in a single strike.

Robin rounded the corner, moving into the next area of the course. No sooner had he passed the checkpoint of the course than two turrets opened up behind a nearby rock formation, scattering shots in Robin's direction.

He quickly ran along side the far wall, jumping up onto the side and pushing off with his feet, dodging to the side as a hailstorm of shots ricocheted off the ground. He hit the ground, rolling clear, tossing a handful of small metal pellets. Upon making contact the pellets exploded, reducing the guns to smoldering scrap billowing smoke.

Robin continued to press on, Starfire hovering just above him. They entered a long narrow straight away, the goal in sight as they approached the end of the course. Just then a long wall sprung up, barring the way. Robin pulled his bo staff once more, jamming it into the ground like pole-vault, launching himself upwards. Robin cleared the wall with inches to spare.

As Robin sailed over the obstacle, a second wall pushed out horizontally directly in front of him. He couldn't avoid it.

Starfire flew in behind Robin, grabbing him by the shoulders and pulling him in close as she turned her shoulder towards the wall. She smashed clean through the barrier, gently dropping Robin to the ground as the buzzer sounded once more.

"Well alright!" Cyborg called, terminating the course and returning the obstacles and systems to stand-by mode.

"Way to go," BeastBoy hollered.

"Not bad," Robin shrugged with a small smile, "But I still need to improve my reaction time a bit. And that last one nearly cost me." It was a typical reaction for Robin's mindset. Good enough was never quite good enough. "Thanks for the assist, Star."

"I welcome you," she responded warmly.

"At least bein' away from home ain't slowed ya down much," Cyborg congratulated. "Made good time too."

Robin gave a nod, glancing at the console, which gave readout of their completion time and general observation of their performance. "Okay. BeastBoy, you and Raven are up next," he gestured to the starting point.

"Uh… actually, could I maybe run the course with Cy?" he asked nervously.

Raven raised a skeptical eyebrow.

"Um, I mean. I totally gotta' get'em back for… uh… ya know, all the pigs he scarfed down this morning. Yeah! Imagine how bad a taste all that bacon is gonna' leave in his mouth when he can't even keep up with me," he pointed to himself with a chuckle.

Something was up. Making excuses was certainly nothing new or unconventional for him, but this was absent of his usual out of proportion creativity. Even BeastBoy had standards when it came to making excuses and this was far below them. He was scrambling.

Robin gave BeastBoy a funny look. He didn't really mind all that much as long as he was still willing to run the course. "I… suppose. Cyborg, are you okay with…"

"Way ahead of ya," he tapped a few commands into the console. "Broccoli brain wants to play follow the leader? Just let'em try to keep up with the top bot on campus." Cyborg leaped over the console heading to the start position. "Got'er all set up on automatic," he gestured Robin towards the controls.

BeastBoy walked past the others, taking his mark at the starting position beside Cyborg. Starfire offered them both cheerful encouragement as Robin took the helm at the controls. Raven however maintained an indifferent look as she had been. But she couldn't help but cast a curious look at BeastBouy again. This was the third time today he'd gone out of his way to keep some manner of distance between them.

"Got a little excess self-esteem ya tryin' to get rid of?" Cyborg teased the young changeling with a competitive smile, "Or you just decide today was a good day to get shown up."

BeastBoy merely smiled back with a doubtful look on his face. "Whatever, tin grin. I'll try my best not to get dust on your rust."

"Easy, Titans," Robin called from the controls. "Remember, this is a team based exercise."

"Relax, dude. We know," BeastBoy assured.

"Yeah, we're just getting' in the zone," Cyborg added. "Not as 'in' as you and Star, but ya know."

Robin just shot a cold, un-amused look them both. He could tell Cyborg was going to ride anything with himself and Starfire for all it was worth as retribution for his absence.

"Gets'em every time," Cyborg smirked at how easy a target Robin could be.

"Totally," BB concurred, slapping hands with his friend.

Robin just hit the button, sounding the buzzer, and the course was underway.

Both Titans took off into the thick of the course. No sooner had they begun than a large solid steel barricade rose up from below ground barring their way. Cyborg ran out ahead of BeastBoy, stopping just short of the obstacle and dropping to one knee. BeastBoy picked up speed as neared Cyborg, jumping onto his back like a stepping-stone, going air born. He got a good jump, but not high enough to jump over it. Fortunately, that wasn't his plan of action.

As BeastBoy came hurdling down towards the dead center of the barricade he shifted his body, aiming head first for the blockade. In the blink of an eye the green boy's body changed fluidly into a triceratops. With his enhanced weight and size he easily plowed through the obstacle with his horn-mounted skull as if it were made of tissue paper.

BeastBoy rolled clear, returning to human form and back up and running as Cyborg caught up beside him moving onto the next phase of the course.

Ahead of them three small platforms levitated off the ground, discarding a sort of holographic camouflage which had previously disguised them as stray rocks in the middle of the ground.

They promptly hummed to life as laser barrels peered out of their front and began to saturate the ground with beams of red energy.

Dashing to the side of the first beam BeastBoy morphed into a snake, slithering quickly along the ground. The turret quickly adjusted its line of fire but the changeling was a much smaller target and easily able to shift and curve his slender body quicker than the weapon could train on him.

BeastBoy sprang up off the ground with a hiss towards the platform, changing in midair once more to that of an electric eel, coiling around the base of the platform. Discharging an electrical current from his body the platform began to sway and sputter as it desperately tried to stay in the air. A quick burst of sparks beneath it sent crashing against the ground, completely shorted out.

He leapt off the platform just before it hit, back to normal form. He looked up just as the other two platforms took aim on him.

**BLAM! BLAM!**

Two wide bursts of blue energy ripped through them, bursting in a cloud of dark smoke.

Cyborg stood a few feet away, cocking his sonic cannon with a smug grin.

Suddenly two launchers flipped up from alongside one of the far walls, firing large disc shaped projectiles.

BeastBoy and Cyborg both dove out of the way, the volley of discs missing by a surprisingly wide margin. However just as they whizzed past them they broke off their straight path, turning around and heading back towards the two teens. Clearly they weren't intended as regular dumb fire projectiles, but rather guidance rounds, seeking out their targets.

The discs broke off into two separate formations in groups of two, whirring back towards both heroes who were still on the move, rounding the halfway mark of the course.

Cyborg turned and fired as he ran, peppering off blast after blast. But the seeker discs were too agile for him to land a decisive hit while on the move.

BeastBoy took to the air in the form of a humming bird, zipping from side to side as if trying to get the seeker's attention. They stayed right on his tail, matching him move for move. He went hard to the left, so did they. Hard to the right, they followed close behind, steadily gaining on him. Zigging and zagging back and forth forced them to fix on his every motion. He now had them sufficiently distracted.

Back on the ground Cyborg had the finish line in sight as he continued to advance forward.

A pitfall opened up in the ground a mere two feet in front of him, scarcely giving him enough time to react at the speed he was running at. Planting both feet just shy of the edge he leapt forward and cleared the final hurdle, rolling across the finish line and turned with his sonic cannon charged and at the ready, prone to fire.

Instantly, the green bird dropped down, allowing Cyborg a clean shot at the four seekers whom he'd duped into a forming a straight line behind him. With a powerful jolt from his arm, Cyborg cut through all four discs with a single shot, cutting through their dead center with an explosion of sparks and flame as BeastBoy crossed the finish line.

The buzzer sounded, returning the course to standby mode and causing all active obstacle to stand down.

"Boo-Yah!" Cyborg exclaimed as he threw fist in the air.

"Oh yeah!" BeastBoy hollered in matching enthusiasm. "Just one question. Who's bad?"

"WE'RE BAD!" they both answered in a spirited high five.

"Good run," Robin called, tallying their performance on the console.

"Oh yes. You have opened boundless cans of the whooped bottom," Starfire congratulated with a smile.

"Go team," Raven said dryly as she twirled a finger in mock enthusiasm.

BeastBoy and Cyborg made their way back over to join the others as Raven passed them to take up her turn on the course. She gave one brief look at BeastBoy, but he and Cyborg were so busy patting each other on the back for a job well done he didn't notice.

"Not a bad day's workout for a soy snackin' gob of green peach fuzz," Cyborg chuckled.

"Couldn't have asked for a better job out of an oversized toaster with legs," BeastBoy exchanged with a smirk as they both lightly punched knuckles.

Raven stood at the ready at the starting position, rolling her head to the side to loosen up her neck. "Ready when you are."

"Hold on a minute, Raven," Robin called as he let Cyborg resume his post at the controls. "We all ran the course in teams of two. I'd still like for you to do the same."

Raven shrugged, not having an opinion one way or the other.

"Oh! Shall I accompany Raven?" Starfire asked excitedly, hovering in the air about to zip over to her friend's side.

Robin put his hand on her shoulder, gently reeling her back to the ground. "Actually…" Robin gave an appreciative smile as he turned, "BeastBoy, think you can go for another run?"

BeastBoy was caught off guard, quickly looking to Raven and then back to his leader. "Um… I-I don't think…"

"I know you just went, but you don't have to go immediately. Take a few minutes to catch your breath. Star and I will make a second run in the meantime," Robin offered. "Alright?"

BeastBoy rubbed his arm sheepishly. "Uh, yeah sure. I guess."

Robin gave a nod has he turned back to Starfire, gesturing towards the course. Accepting Robin's invitation she walked towards the starting point, Robin following behind her.

"You got some kinda' angle goin' here?" Cyborg asked quietly as Robin walked by, curious why he was so focused on getting BeastBoy to run the course again so soon. "Not like you to insist on who teams with who."

This much was true. Robin could usually care less who anyone trained with so long as they had at least one run with every other member of the team.

"No, it's not what you think," Robin replied as he came to a halt beside Cyborg, briefly looking in BeastBoy's direction, "However as long as they're undertaking this wager of yours by choice I am mildly curious as to what effect, if any, it'll have on their focus in combat. They have been acting differently as of late."

"Hmm," Cyborg scratched his chin, "Got a point there. I have noticed BB toning down the lame jokes and actually givin' the old brain box a little more exercise. And Raven hasn't even made one idle threat towards the little dude in like a week. At least… not that I know of."

"In any case, it should be worth checking into just what kind of effect it'll have on them in circumstances outside the tower," he finished as he jogged over to join Starfire at the start of the course.

Raven stood a few feet behind the starting area, paying little mind to the buzzer sounding as two of her friends made their next training run. She kept looking at BeastBoy, who was trying to look as if he was limbering up with a few casual stretches. But the vacant look on his face did little to enforce any kind of belief that his mind was solely on training.

With a small sigh Raven started towards him. She had originally hoped to confront him later on in a more private atmosphere to help understand what was bothering him but there was no other choice. She'd already inadvertently caused a dose of mental/emotional damage and if she was somehow connected to what was troubling him while they ran the course together she didn't want to be responsible for any kind of matching physical injury as well.

"BeastBoy?" she began.

In an instant, he snapped out of whatever trance he'd been in. "Oh, hey! Hey Raven," he stammered with a nervous smile.

"Listen, you don't have to run the course with me. I'll merely ask Cyborg if he'll…"

"N-No, I'm good. Really. We can totally dominate this thing," he gestured to the obstacle course. "I just thought, ya know… ya been stuck with me for so long ya might want a change of scenery."

Raven tilted her head to the side, not breaking eye contact. "So you don't mind if I train with you?" she asked, still probing and analyzing his responses.

"Mind? Me? Nah, are you kiddin'?" he weakly chuckled. "You used to say I never even had a mind so why would I grow one now?"

Something was definitely wrong. The last time BeastBoy acted out, he cut off his personality altogether. This was like the opposite end of the spectrum for him. Rather than just shutting his persona off, he was forcing it.

Raven had to tread carefully. It was no use trying to talk it out with him like this, at least until she knew what was causing it. If she tried to draw him out now he'd just try even harder to act like nothing was wrong and that might lead to bitter consequences.

"Alright," she said simply, starting to walk away. The only logical thing to do was to give him the space that he was seemingly trying to maintain. All she could do was try to get through training without any other complications and try to corner him later.

He turned, silently breathing a sigh of relief, giving his grin a rest.

"BeastBoy?" Raven asked in monotone.

BeastBoy put his grin back up turning to face her again.

"If something was bothering you…" she added, deadpan as ever while trying to still remain compassionate.

"Oh, yeah. Totally," he swatted with his hand, making light of the situation to try to reassure her he was fine.

She gave a nod, walking back to behind the starting point. No sooner than which BeastBoy cast his eyes down to the ground briefly before resuming his mock stretching.

The buzzer sounded as Robin and Starfire finished the course in similar fashion as before.

"Nice goin," Cyborg complimented.

Robin gave an acknowledging nod to Cyborg as he and Starfire made their way clear of the course and joined him by the console. "BeastBoy, are you ready?"

He stood at the starting point pulling his leg back in one final stretch. "Yeah," he took a deep breath.

Raven stood beside him with her hood raised, taking up starting position.

Robin gave a nod to Cyborg as he began typing in commands on the keyboard to randomize the obstacles, as had been the norm for each run.

BeastBoy took his mark, leaning forward in track running fashion as he awaited the starting buzzer. Raven shifted her eyes from under the concealing shadow of her cloak's hood. BeastBoy looked focused and alert, devoid of the tension and empty smiles he'd sported before. He was serious, which she interpreted as a good thing. Better that he keep his mind on something practical to fend off whatever he was going through than run the risk of being injured from lack of concentration while training.

She still couldn't help but wonder what precisely had gotten to him to make him act in such a way unbecoming of his casual self. She'd seen BeastBoy cope with certain kinds of problems in the past. Usually how he chose to cope was a clue as to what kind of problem he had. And this was nothing like any of them. He wasn't angry, he wasn't moody, and he certainly wasn't abstaining from normal activity. If it was somehow her at fault she'd prefer that he just come right out and say it rather than trying to contemplate any number of things that could be forcing him to act the way he was.

The buzzer sounded, catching Raven off guard as she flinched a step backward, so deep in thought she'd temporarily blotted out everything around her.

She shook her head, tuning back into reality, taking to the air to catch up to BeastBoy, now a few feet out in front.

The first obstacle presented itself, a large stonewall rising up from below and effectively baring their path. BeastBoy morphed into a large green gorilla, scaling the wall by climbing the various protruding rocks and edges. Raven merely ascended to a higher altitude.

Just then from below, a few miniature launchers overturned from the surface. With a few beeps their tracking systems locked on, firing a volley of concussive discs upward, curving into the air directly towards Raven.

She was nearly to the top, keeping a close eye on BeastBoy who was nearly over the top of the wall. Suddenly his body stiffened as his keen animal instincts kicked in. Sensing danger as he turned quickly, his head snapped downwards to see the oncoming threat.

He leapt from the wall just as Raven caught a glimpse of the incoming attack with no time to react. BeastBoy hurled himself out in front of her soaking up the discs concussive blast with his thick gorilla hide. Raven now aware of the threat threw out her hand, encasing the launchers in bubbles of black energy, crushing them effortlessly.

BeastBoy hit the ground, kicking up a cloud of dust as he woozily got back to his feet.

Raven quickly soared back down to ground level; mad at herself for not detecting the threat sooner. She was so busy looking out for BeastBoy she hadn't bothered to watch her own back. "BeastBoy, are you all right?" she called as the jade gorilla shook its head to let off the residual effect of the blast.

With hardly a response BeastBoy quickly morphed into a rhino, charging the wall and smashing through to the other side. Raven followed close behind as he charged onward with a snort trying to make up for lost time.

Raven hovered just above him, keeping pace when to the left side an extendable gun barrel rose up firing a bola directly towards them. Raven put up her hands, amassing an energy field to block the whirling projectile. But BeastBoy was quicker on the uptake, pushing off the ground changing into a large elephant. With a mighty swing of his trunk, he knocked the bola away, launching it directly back into the mouth of the cannon that exploded upon jamming.

Swiftly changing to the form of horse, BeastBoy galloped towards the halfway mark as Raven followed behind after a delayed stare, trying to comprehend being beaten to the punch.

Half the course now behind them they pressed on to the finish. Another group of launchers dropped down from the sides of a rock formation dead ahead. With a burst of smoke a swarm of miniature rockets whizzed towards them at alarming speed.

A quick flick of the wrist and Raven flung a slicing blade of energy out in front of them, effectively detonating a few of the rockets and cutting straight into one of the launchers. Unfortunately the rockets spread formation just before Raven had attacked leaving a large majority of them still intact and bearing down on them.

Raven focused her energy once more. "Azarath Metrion Zin…"

BeastBoy morphed again, this time as a pterodactyl. Zipping out in front of her and with a vigorous spin he gave a mighty flap of his wings, deflecting the rockets away save for one that detonated on impact, sending him to the ground with a thud and reverting him to human form.

All the other rockets scattered towards the ground and the remaining launchers with a wave of small explosions, effectively neutralizing another obstacle.

BeastBoy staggered to his feet as Raven touched down to assist him. "BeastBoy, don't be so reckless," firm but caringly she steadied him by taking hold of his shoulder. "You didn't have to…"

But with a quick rub of his head he shook off Raven's hand, morphing again into a cheetah. He pounced on top of Raven, pressing her to the ground just as a laser blast whizzed by overhead.

He quickly darted towards a single turret, dodging incoming fire as he ran lightly over the ground. He leaped over the turret, changing into a hippopotamus in mid air, dropping like a rock and crushing the defensive structure beneath his enormous backside.

Raven watched it all, upside down and from on her back and she slowly rolled over getting to one knee. And she had been worried about BeastBoy being distracted? She'd never seen him so focused.

Morphing again into a gazelle he ran back towards Raven who was still trying to mentally digest what had just happened. He ran straight for her, not slowing down as he drew closer, lowering his head.

"WAAAAHHH!" Raven gave a brief yelp as BeastBoy scooped her up onto his back. She held tightly around the gazelle's neck. She would've been inclined to smack him in the head if not for the fact that she might get flung off. "Ever hear how dangerous it is to pick up hitchhikers? Especially at full speed!"

But BeastBoy didn't avert his eyes for an instant, the finish line staying locked in his sights.

Two more gun emplacements rooted up a few feet short of the goal, laying down a constant line of fire. The gazelle leaped and bounded over the oncoming streams of energy. One beam grazed his hind leg, causing him to hobble briefly.

Raven threw out an arm, making a fist as both field guns radiated black a moment before collapsing in on themselves as if crushed by immense pressure.

A third gun sprang up in between the two dismantled turrets, continuing to press the attack. BeastBoy made one final lunge ahead before reeling back and bucking forward, sending Raven flying over the final obstruction and out of harms way right over the finish line.

He continued to avoid blasts as he circled around picking up speed, lowering his head as he morphed into a ram, horns steadied and aimed as he struck the stationary target with such force it was knocked clean off its mount.

Finally the buzzer sounded as BeastBoy slowly trotted in, returning to human form before falling flat on his face. By then Robin and Starfire were running towards them as Cyborg made certain the course was deactivated.

"Raven! BeastBoy! Are you two alright?" Robin called as he came to a stop before them.

Raven attempted to help BeastBoy up but he kindly gestured her hand away, doing his best to force a smile to show that he was okay. He teetered for an instant but was able to steady himself and finally stand up straight on his own.

"Fine," Raven said not taking her eyes off the young changeling. Which was for the most part true, physically at least. There was hardly a scratch on her. The same could not hold true for her teammate.

BeastBoy looked terrible. A minor bruise just above his cheek, a tear on the right shoulder of his uniform, his arm lightly clutching his stomach easing lingering soreness from the concussive discs, and he was clearly favoring his left leg as a result of the narrow blast just moments ago. None of the ordinates of the training course were designed to be lethal, but by the same token it could hardly be considered viable training unless there was some element of danger. Yet there was no expression on his face hinting at pain or discomfort. Just a very weak smile, empty as before, but Raven didn't let on.

"Not my greatest run," BeastBoy scratched the back of his head shyly. "Guess I musta' burned out the first time through, huh?"

Robin studied his face. "Well… that aside, performance wise you still did quite well for yourself." Robin honestly was surprised, in more ways than one. His first run he did exceptionally well. His second run, though less efficient he was far more aggressive. A trait not typically displayed in BeastBoy unless the stakes were far greater in a fight. "We have been a bit out of practice. What say we call it a day and pick it up tomorrow?"

The others nodded in agreement.

"Raven, take him to the med lab and get him patched up," Robin said calmly.

"I wish to assist friend BeastBoy as well," Starfire announced with outgoing concern. "I shall go and prepare the ancient rejuvenation elixir of the Fjyorg. Its stagnant juices replenish the body even after the most enduring battle." And with that, Starfire took flight for the kitchen.

Robin watched as she left. "Um, Raven… as long as you're there…"

"I'll hide it after she brings it to him," she replied.

Robin gave an appreciative smile. He knew Starfire meant well, but not all of her Tamaranian 'delicacies' were always effective. They especially weren't delectable most of the time either. Some other time perhaps.

Raven nodded, lowering her head as her pupils gave off a white glow. A black rift opened up in the ground at their feet, enveloping her and BeastBoy. In an instant they vanished from sight as Raven's powers transported them back towards the tower.

Robin rubbed his chin. Every detective instinct in his keen mind deduced there had to be something more to BeastBoy's behavior. But he was ill equipped to make such premature deductions after being away and uninformed of the goings on in the tower for so long. He could tell by the way Raven was looking at him she might've been more in touch with the situation at hand. But there didn't seem to be any immediate cause for alarm. With any luck, it would be resolved before it was needed for him to investigate further.

He started back towards the tower for monitoring duty.

"Oh no ya don't!" Cyborg clamped down on the boy wonder's shoulder.

"Hey! What gives?" Robin struggled, taken by surprise.

Cyborg hauled him back towards the entrance to the course. "I spent every day fixin', rebuildin', and fine tunin' this place from top to bottom since you took off playin' hide and go seek around the city. And I ain't letting it slide till you take care of all the toys that got broke."

He pointed towards the obstacle course and the heaps of debris strewn about, as well as mangled mechanical parts and smoldering blast craters filled with sparking wreckage.

Not as insurmountable a job as it might've seemed. The majority of the course was fully automated and designed to routinely refit and replace damaged obstacles. Not every nonfunctioning and outright destroyed piece of hardware had to be repaired and restored. Merely salvaged and removed from the course.

"Um… you're taking this a little bit personal, aren't ya Cy?" Robin gave a nervous chuckle.

"Oh no, I don't think so," he said happily with a smile. "Chaining ya to the floor till ya give me the whole story of what happened while you triple wax the T-Car, THAT'S takin' it personal."

Robin hung his head, clearly not willing to accept the second offer. "Well, I suppose I do need to make up for mYEEAGH!"

Cyborg dropped a heavy-duty toolbox in his arms.

"Good. Cause if anybody's gonna' be dripping a little elbow grease today, it ain't gonna' be me," he dusted off his hands heading back to the tower. "Service manuals are in the box. Have fun."

Robin just blinked. He slowly turned back to the course and the sheer amount of cleanup and repair ahead of him as he listened to Cyborg whistle as he trailed off. "Hope Star makes seconds on the Fjyorg," as he trudged down into the awaiting mess.

Beastboy sat upright on a stool in the med lab; his feet perched on the stainless steel frame. He rotated his shoulder a few times before pausing to rub his forearm, attempting to relieve the soreness that was fading but still achingly present from combat practice.

Raven stood near an open supply cabinet mounted on the wall picking through a few medical supplies. Locating a container of aspirin she popped the lid off as she carefully shook the bottle to empty two capsules into her hand before returning the bottle to the cabinet. Not exactly serious medicine but then BeastBoy's injuries weren't exactly life threatening either. She had already used her powers to ease the pain somewhat. This would merely help alleviate whatever minor discomfort still lingered as a result of his physical injuries.

All the while she couldn't help but be distracted, occasionally looking over her shoulder as if expecting BeastBoy to break into a fit of incessant whining or belly aching about being in need of care. BeastBoy was never crazy about trips to the med lab especially when he was the patient. Hardly genuine most of the time but it mostly served as a mental diversion to distract himself from whatever ailment had prompted the visit. In fact for once Raven would've welcomed it as it was usually a good way to lead into small talk that might help fill in a few blanks regarding BeastBoy's change in behavior towards her.

But astonishingly enough there was none. Not even a crack about getting a lollipop for being a good patient. The closest she would get would be the occasional bored look on his face followed by swinging his legs from side to side.

She walked over to BeastBoy aspirin in hand, reluctant to probe the matter further without having to make the first move. If he wouldn't open up about it before when she asked him on the training course it was doubtful he'd be any more willing now. It seemed like the more she asked about it, the more effort he'd put into assuring her it was nothing when it clearly wasn't. She was just going to have to hope he'd bring it up on his own.

She came to stop in front of him. But just as Raven was about to extend her hand to present the medicine BeastBoy reached out, swiftly plucking the capsules from her hand and popping them into his mouth. With an audible gulp he downed the aspirin followed by a grimacing sour look on his face; the outer flavor of the capsules none too savory for his taste buds.

"Blegkh!" he let his tongue hang out of his mouth.

Raven gave an impatient stare. "You could've at least waited for me to get some water."

"N-No, no. I'm good. Really," BeastBoy shook his head, gesturing not to go to any trouble. "So I guess I'll be gettin' back to…"

He hopped off the stool, quickly brought to one knee by the sharp twinge in his left leg, obviously still tender from the energy blast. Quickly he tried to shape the easily recognizable expression of pain into a tense smile as if he'd tripped.

No dice. Raven wasn't buying it in the least as was apparent by the impatient tapping of her foot as she gave a doubtful look at the hunched green boy.

"Think again," she pulled him upright by the arm just before shoving him back onto the stool. "You need to take it easy for a while. Your head might be made of stone but the rest of you isn't quite so lucky."

BeastBoy rolled his eyes off to the side, folding his arms like a pouting child. He could be on his deathbed and she'd still find some way to give a verbal jab to his person.

"We should probably ice down that leg for a while," she scratched her chin as she inspected his leg. Raven turned towards a small refrigeration unit in the corner of the room. "There should be a couple ice packs…"

BeastBoy quickly hobbled past her, hopping on one leg, beating her to the fridge as he seized up an ice pack and held it against his leg as he hopped back to the stool.

"…here," Raven finished, annoyed.

BeastBoy held the ice pack more firmly against his leg as he sat back down.

Raven took a deep breath. She didn't know what irritated her more. That BeastBoy was still blocking any kind of opportunity for her to talk to him or that he was still maintaining a boundary between them at the expense of his own well being to do so.

She exhaled slowly, massaging her temple with her fingers. Yelling at him wasn't going to do any good, nor would a quick backhand across his head (in spite of how cleansing it might feel). She had to maintain her composure and remain hopeful that an opportunity to get him to talk would present itself.

Raven returned to the medicine cabinet, this time returning with a small bottle of rubbing alcohol and a small cotton swab. "Now, hold still while I see about treating that…"

As before, BeastBoy quickly yet politely seized up the items from Raven, intent on helping himself.

"Ugh!" she fumed. "BeastBoy, will you stop doing that! Since you don't have enough common sense to keep from hurting yourself, at least have the common sense to let me help you."

Not the most compassionate choice of words given her current bind but it couldn't be helped. He couldn't just do as he pleased, not while he was like this.

"I got it. Ya don't have to worry. I can take care of it myself," he dipped the swab into the alcohol solution, giving a quick stir. "See?"

He dabbed the swab lightly against the scrape on his cheek. His eyes shot wide open the instant the alcohol came into contact with his skin. Tears welled up in his eyes, clenching his teeth before…

"Yeeeeee-aaaaaaggghhhhhh!"

BeastBoy yelped like he'd raked the side of his face with barbed wire.

Raven let a small content smirk curl to the side of her face. "Serves you right." She peeled an adhesive strip from a bandage, gently applying it to BeastBoy's cheek, covering the injury. She then cupped her hand over his face as a gentle blue glow emanated from her palm.

In less than a few seconds the burning sensation in BeastBoy's cheek faded, a cool soothing feeling running down his face. He sighed in relief as his eyes closed, relaxing his posture, slumping slightly in his seat.

He re-opened his eyes, unable to keep from locking eyes on Raven who was still focused on easing the sting of his injury.

BeastBoy felt a lump in his throat, momentarily unable to swallow. It was a strange feeling. Not unpleasant, but strange. The contrast between the cool, easing relief of Raven's powers and the gentle warmth of her hand against his face, he couldn't help but space out for a brief moment. Like his brain was a balloon and his head had just let go letting it float into the sky.

Raven too stared right back, straight faced as ever as if trying to signal to him to tell her what was wrong and why he was acting so strangely.

BeastBoy was the first to break contact, shaking his head vigorously. He yanked his head back, parting contact with Raven's hand as the glow in her hand dissipated. He shimmied to the edge of the stool before lightly stepping down onto the floor, hastily making his way for the door.

"W-Well… uh… sorry for the trouble. Um, thanks but I think I'll just go and… ya know…rest in my room for the rest of the day. So like…maybe go read some tea or drink some books. No! I mean… uh," he stammered side stepped into the hall, "…bye!"

And with that the door swished shut.

Raven stared at the door for a few moments before she gave a huff in a combination of confusion and annoyance. She was still without a clue to what was up with BeastBoy. His behavior was normal enough but she still sensed this vacancy about him when she was around him. Like he had a wall that would go up just enough to put distance between the two of them.

Ironic that for a time it was the other way around. That when the team was initially formed it was Raven with a wall around her. But where as Raven had an emotional barrier up around her, BeastBoy was now putting up a barrier to merely separate himself from her altogether it seemed. He was distancing himself from her both physically and emotionally. He'd kept his distance in the hall, he didn't sit with her at breakfast, he remained self sufficient in training, and now he was even avoiding her aid. And all while keeping a smile on his face. The question was… why?

He certainly didn't show any sign of holding a grudge, but if he was he was doing it in a very subtle way. He couldn't be angry or depressed as it would've been more apparent.

Raven exited the med lab into the hall. But she still couldn't stop prodding the matter in her head as she walked towards the main room.

BeastBoy was never shy around Raven, at least when he hadn't done anything to upset, infuriate, or annoy her. He'd always made the most prominent efforts to make her feel at ease, like she was one of the group. Maybe he was just naturally curious about her. Maybe he didn't want her to feel as alone as she made herself out to be. And now in the midst of this unusual circumstance between the two of them he was just suddenly cutting himself off from her. Had he somehow gotten bored?

…

Bored? Bored of her? Was it really so far fetched? Up until now, he'd had to beg, plead, and outright bug her just to be able to hang around long enough to try to coax her out of her emotional shell. Now he was around her all day, everyday.

Had consistently being around Raven during the course of this wager made him tired of her? Had she somehow lost her mystique to him? And now he was just trying to politely wait out the bet?

'_Nah,_' she mentally mused in her mind.

And yet she couldn't quite dismiss the theory altogether.

Whatever the case may be, it'd have to wait for tomorrow. The day was now more than half over. BeastBoy would probably be resting and recuperating in his room till tomorrow. Which left her a rare opportunity for some alone time to herself. But even in what little meditation she could muster for the remainder of the day, her mind still revolved around the same quandary as before.

It was late that night as Raven stirred in her bed. Eyes opening she sat up with a brief stretch, taking a moment for her eyes to adjust to the darkness. She rubbed her parched throat as a mild thirst had awakened her from slumber.

Steadily she rolled her feet over the side of the bed making her way to the door and out into the hall as she gathered up her cloak on the way. Donning the long blue material around her shoulders she gave a small yawn as she walked softly towards the kitchen for a glass of water. Normally tea was her drink of choice but she was still very tired as indicated by her eyes only halfway open and preparing tea seemed far too much effort to muster.

A short while later having slaked her thirst she returned back the way she'd come. She held a small glass of water in her hand, having taken a long satisfying drink in the kitchen and then pouring another glass to take back to her room should her thirst return. Another soft yawn escaped, Raven barely able to lift her other hand to cover her mouth.

Suddenly she stopped. Freezing to the spot, lifting her head, eyes scanning the hallway from side to side as she detected the slightest twinge in her empathic senses. It came on so sudden it was as if a draft had run through her mind.

Raven held her breath trying to further sense whatever had alarmed her but only silence. Looking behind her into the dark hallway she continued to mentally feel her surroundings. But only the calm of the evening was to be found.

With a fleeting reluctance Raven turned back but only after one last visual scan of the corridor. She eventually shrugged it off. It came as no surprise that as an empath Raven could sometimes become emotionally linked to others within a limited range if the emotional surge was strong enough. Probably just a momentary backlash of someone in the tower having a bad dream.

Raven took another few steps back towards her room.

**SMASH!**

It wasn't an instant later Raven was overcome by another mental spike of turbulence, so much so that it struck her like a burst of cold air causing her to drop her glass, which shattered on the floor.

Hardly paying the broken glass any mind Raven put out her hands in front of her; focusing her mind to zero in on this alarming sensation she was overwhelmed by. It was much stronger than before and this time far more constant. It sent a chill down the back of her neck.

Raven hovered above the ground for split second before coasting down the corridors of the tower, still one hand out in front of her to better sense the source of this disturbance. Able to sense its intensity through her mind Raven followed the trail like an emotional divining rod.

"_What is this… this terrible feeling?"_ she queried in her mind as she continued pursuit. Raven had never experienced anything like this before. It was definitely coming from within the tower as the feeling wouldn't be so strong any farther away. Its pattern was comparable to severe mental distress, but this had to be much more than a mere bad dream. This was on the verge of a total breakdown as if someone's emotions were ready to collapse in on themselves.

Raven hastened her pace; whizzing silently through the hallways, zigging and zagging hairpin turns down the corridor.

"Warmer," she said as she took a quick left turn.

She ducked down a straightaway, then taking another left.

"Colder," she grunted with a sigh.

The feeling was so strong now that it was becoming difficult to navigate clearly to its source, as it seemed to saturate her senses. It was like trying to find a single drop of water in the ocean.

She doubled back the way she'd come, taking a right in place of her previous direction.

"Warmer."

Past the recreation room and hanging a left by Starfire's quarters.

"Increasingly warm."

Up to the next floor via ascending the stairwell.

"Beyond warm."

A straightaway down another hallway.

"There had better be one heck of a hunk of cheese at the end of this maze."

Full stop.

She threw her legs forward, halting her course to a complete stop. Raven brought her fingers to the side of her head, taking an intense more thorough feel with her mind, verifying she had arrived at the source of whatever had triggered this intense emotional spike she'd detected. At that point she had to wall off her senses mentally, the feeling so strong it was overwhelming her. There was no doubt. She was here.

The gravity of the potential situation brought Raven to a standstill. She was afraid to have guessed this was where she might have been headed. But logically, there was no other place it could have been.

Raven looked in front her to find the door to BeastBoy's quarters.

Was there a sign she hadn't interpreted correctly? Some clue he'd been trying to give her? What could she have missed? Aside from a discrete hint that he was in horrific emotional turmoil? She knew something was bothering him, she sensed something was off, but she never could have imagined anything like this would be the result. He wasn't in danger, at least not physically. But from what Raven was able to sense before it felt as though he was emotionally set on fire.

There would be time to go over details later. The more pressing matter was still at hand. Raven reached for the door.

But she stopped just shy of the keypad. In spite of the severity of the situation she couldn't help but question her actions. She'd failed to get to the route of the problem sooner, she hadn't anticipated any repercussion of this magnitude, and she was about to breach BeastBoy's room in the dead of night. What if intervening now made things worse?

Raven bit down on her lip. Her hand moved away from the door.

From inside BeastBoy's room a black vortex took shape over the door. Through the dark energies overlapping the entrance a blue-cloaked figure wafted through to the inside of the room touching down on the floor.

Raven surveyed the room. "Well, at least this makes us even for the last time BeastBoy snuck in MY room," she whispered to herself.

BeastBoy's room was dark, but not dark enough that she couldn't see a few feet in front of her. In the corner she noticed a tiny nightlight plugged into the wall socket below giving off a soft yellow glow from its tinted bulb in the shape of a duckling.

Raven couldn't help give the faintest of smiles. Regardless of the circumstances BeastBoy had some element on his side to ease the tension.

She surveyed the room, quickly identifying BeastBoy's bunk bed, shortly after the sound of low rustling noises. She moved quietly alongside the bottom bunk finding the green boy on his side. Covers were strewn about, his pillow fallen on the floor as she observed the most contorted expression of pain on his face as he slowly thrashed from side to side in his sleep.

Raven made critical observations. He was still wearing the tattered uniform from combat practice so at the very least the unfathomable concern of stumbling onto BeastBoy in his undergarments was no longer a worry. He was still asleep. A deep sleep and none too pleasant as was apparent by him clutching the bedspread tightly under his fingers.

Her initial response had been to wake him, but seeing him like this she knew it would only be a short-term solution. He hadn't been willing to talk before under physical strain. Emotional would be no different. If his earlier behavior were any indication even if she woke him he'd still deny anything was wrong and probably blame it on his high sugar intake. And now was no time for empty sentiments and lies. This required a more direct approach.

Gently, Raven took hold of his shoulder as he tossed again towards her, trying to keep him steady. She placed her other hand softly on his forehead. Her eyes moved quickly from side to side, able to quickly establish a deep sense of his troubled thoughts through her mind. He was all twisted up inside. His mind was racing, his heart was heavy, and it felt as if his very emotions were boiling over at their core.

But Raven had only scratched the surface. She needed to get to the root of the problem. She needed to delve deeper into his mind and find the source.

Raven took a deep breath, closing her eyes.

BeastBoy continued to flinch somewhat, but he'd stopped tossing and turning. The look of discomfort on his face began to deteriorate.

Raven slowly exhaled.

His body began to sink against the mattress, relaxing. His grip on the covers loosened.

She opened her eyes.

Raven looked around to find herself in a lush countryside. Tall trees and green grass, wild flowers wafting in a gentle breeze, and a sky so clear and blue overhead. The city limits visible in the distance just over a few rolling hills and even Titan's Tower amidst the shoreline.

She had entered BeastBoy's mind, or at least a part of it. "Strange," she said, "Not what I would've envisioned in an emotional disturbance."

The scene was a peaceful one. Nothing gave the impression that anything was wrong. And she had to admit it was a rather beautiful setting. Hard to believe this was BeastBoy's mind. She would've guessed the inside of his precious arcade or an all you can eat tofu buffet as the main backdrop in his mind.

Still, there was no reason to assume everything was all right. Looks could be deceiving. Perhaps her entering BeastBoy's mind had reset his thoughts. If that were the case then this might only be the calm before the storm.

Raven began to walk aimlessly into a noticeably thicker woodland area to her left. No real direction or inclination of where to go but she certainly wouldn't find anything standing around. She pushed deeper inward, brushing past bushes and parting stray branches. Before long she found herself along a beaten path. A dirt road stretching both ways that seemed to go on forever. There were rows and rows of trees along both sides whose limbs curved upwards, the thick patches of leaves letting speckles of sunlight in to dot the shaded trail below.

"Ya know for a guy whose primary source of culture revolves around comic books and monster movies," Raven mused to herself, "He sure knows how to paint a tranquil picture."

She stepped out into the path. Just then she recognized the sound of approaching footsteps lightly trampling and crunching along the thick dirt trail. Spotting a shadowy silhouette drawing closer, quickly she ducked back behind a tree, peeking out from the side. She didn't want to rush in on the inner working of another's mind without better understanding the situation at hand.

Slowly a figure began to come into view. It was hard to make out at first, but as Raven began to squint into the distance and as it drew closer she began to distinguish a recognizable form.

Raven heard a short chuckle in a familiar tone verifying BeastBoy for certain. She watched as he stepped into view along the trail; now clear in sight, a smile accompanying his laugh. Wearing his standard Titan's uniform he came to a halt, turning to face the way he'd come. Almost as if waiting for something.

Raven trained her eyes on BeastBoy. "What is he…"

A moment later a second figure approached catching up alongside him. BeastBoy wasn't alone.

The other figure stepped into the open and once again another instantly recognizable figure.

"Her," Raven sighed. "It had to be her."

Terra walked up beside BeastBoy, dressed in her Titans ensemble, casually brushing back her hair with a smile.

Raven rolled her eyes. She was far from surprised. After all this was most likely her own doing. Bringing up Terra at the arcade, even just by name had probably refreshed her in BeastBoy's subconscious mind. But it still didn't make the situation any easier for her to bear with. And it certainly didn't make it any clearer.

It was no secret deep down BeastBoy still probably missed her. That she could comprehend. Loss wasn't an easy thing to get over. But if Terra was somehow the root of the problem how did she fit into creating complications for just Raven? If BeastBoy was saddened or depressed over her surely she wouldn't be the only one affected. Why hadn't BeastBoy distanced himself from everyone else as well? And why now all of a sudden?

Terra brushed up alongside BeastBoy as they walked side by side. The green boy gave a shy smile, quickly looking off to the side, coyly rubbing his arm.

Drawing closer, Raven quickly pulled back behind the tree, sure to stay out of sight as they walked by. No sooner had the sound of their footsteps passed than she poked out from the opposite end of the tree watching them from behind.

Terra's hand swooped down, gently taking hold of BeastBoy's. Startled, he stopped cold, jolting Terra to a stop. Her face went blank for only an instant, startled in turn by BeastBoy's sudden stop. But her smile quickly returned, her fingers curling around his hand. He looked down from Terra's hand in his own up to her warm face, which batted her eyelashes at him.

BeastBoy quickly looked away, fighting off a rosy tint in his cheeks. But it did little to hamper Terra's ambitions, slowly taking hold of his other hand.

He looked at Terra. She looked right back. BeastBoy's face was giving way to surprise and just a touch of confusion. He looked like he wanted to say something but no words came. Terra just lowered her head with a content smile as if relishing the moment.

BeastBoy let out a deep breath of relief, relaxing his shoulders, feeling a sense of comfort. He gradually returned her smile with one of his own.

All the while Raven stared, unmoving and unflinching. So many messages going through her mind. One part of her wanted to look away. This was after all BeastBoy's mind and he was permitted to his own thoughts and as such he should be entitled to some privacy. The other was demanding she not take her eyes off him for a second because she knew she still had to find what had been making BeastBoy's emotional state deteriorate earlier. And somewhere in the farthest recesses of her mind was an equally prominent argument to rush in and trounce that ditzy schoolgirl by her putting her foot so far up her…

"Aaaaaggghh!"

Raven snapped her attention back to Terra who had suddenly broken away from BeastBoy, clutching her head as she convulsed, seemingly in pain. She took another two steps away from BeastBoy looking as if she was barely able to keep the will to stand, her arms and legs trembling. BeastBoy reached towards her, concerned.

The ground beneath them began to tremble. The sky above went dark as thick storm clouds blotted out all traces of sunlight.

One of Terra's arms shot forward as she let out another frantic howl of agony. Her forearm began to twist and warp as white bandages sprang from her body ensnaring around her arm. She struggled to break free but to no avail, visibly frightened and still very much in pain. Her other arm followed quickly after, matching the other. Her legs followed suit, bandages tightly constricting both her limbs. Metal plates uprooted themselves on her hands, wrists, and shoulders, each with a sickening clang, bolting the polished steel components to her form. Metal berets of similar fashion popped out from each side of the front her head. From Terra's back another large piece of metal clawed itself over her shoulders, locking itself around her chest like armor.

In the dead center of her newly forged chest plate a circular shard of orange steel sprang forth. Embedded in its frame a curved, sleekly contoured black S.

BeastBoy took a step back, shaking his head in a state of disbelief. Terra was now dawned in her apprentice uniform of Slade's design.

It was a difficult sight for him to bear. Deceit and betrayal, a single image that symbolized so much. It felt as if his heart stopped and as if his stomach were tied in knots. Even from a short distance Raven could feel BeastBoy's thoughts beginning to grow heavy and slip towards what she'd felt before. This was someone who he'd trusted, defended, and in the end he still had to bear the damage she'd done to everyone around her. Only now it was far worse, happening much more quickly and right in front of him through his own mind.

Shaking off the initial shock, he reached for her.

At that point Terra fell to her knees, again clutching her head tightly as if trying to blot out the world around her and trying to quiet so much in her own mind.

BeastBoy took hold of her shoulder, hoping to comfort her and ease whatever pain he could.

Terra's head shot straight up, arching her back and letting out the most bloodcurdling scream imaginable. BeastBoy watched in terror as a gray veil shrouded Terra's body from her feet slowly up to her neck, petrifying her body to stone. Her flesh became mineral, her hair froze stiff as granite, and the low sound of crumbling rock hardening her joints solidified her outstretched fingers that had been reaching for BeastBoy in place. Finally the shroud of rock engulfed her face, trapping her in a moment in time as a statue. A few previously welled up tears came loose, now tiny gray pebbles dropping to the ground and rolling short of BeastBoy's feet.

The ground quaked once more, this time with more force as the patch of ground beneath Terra shook to give way to a tall stone pedestal, raising her up beyond BeastBoy's reach several feet in the air.

The quake subsided as the frightened former hero resided on her knees, in pain, and alone atop a makeshift shrine. Forever etched from the very element she once commanded.

Raven hung her head in silence, unable to help but feel sympathy. And not just for BeastBoy either. While she still had more than a few bitter memories of Terra and the wrongs she'd perpetrated it was enough to make her look past them for a little while. Granted it was an exaggeration and a construct of BeastBoy's guilt ridden subconscious, but even Terra and everything Raven had held against her, from this perspective made her focus a little less on her faults.

Raven continued to watch as BeastBoy slowly got to his feet taking a few steps back. He looked as if he'd seen a ghost. And to an extent he had, at least in his mind. He had this look of disbelief, as if unable to accept what'd happened.

He shook his head more vigorously trying to somehow convince himself that this wasn't happening, not again. He fell backwards landing hard against the ground but quickly pushing and kicking against the soil to get back to his feet now running away.

The look of fear was apparent on his face. He was in a cold sweat, his heartbeat quickened, running faster and faster. He panted and huffed with each frantic step as he ran past where Raven had been watching.

She leaned out from behind the tree just as he passed, clearly concerned. But also somewhat confused. "I don't get it," she looked back at Terra's memorial. "Why hasn't he woken up yet?" Usually a person awoke after the worst of a nightmare had concluded, but it seemed this command performance of BeastBoy's mind was still ongoing. Which could only mean one thing.

The worst was yet to come.

BeastBoy continued to run, quickly glancing back once or twice. All the while Raven kept him in view, coasting along the trees to keep pace and still retaining cover. She also maintained a constant link directly to BeastBoy to keep tabs on his emotional output and his mind which while heightened were relatively steady. As traumatic as his experience had been thus far, it was still not triggering anything close to what had alarmed to her before. Still, he ran.

Up ahead Raven could make out several figures advancing towards him through a layer of fog. But BeastyBoy didn't falter. He just kept running, calling out towards them as if he seemed to know who was there.

Not a moment later the figures came clear into view. Brushing past the fog, Cyborg, Starfire, and Robin came to a halt in front of him.

Cyborg called to BeastBoy, Starfire and Robin at his sides. Each had a look of concern all their own as BeastBoy slowed to a halt in front of them catching his breath. He tried to speak, but couldn't mutter more than a few syllables as he panted for air.

"Guys…s-she… a-and… i-it…" He was stammering, looking between his friends and Terra's direction, pointing and making all manner of hand signals as if trying to communicate what had just happened. The apprehension was evident in his shaken voice.

Robin and Starfire each put a hand on his shoulder attempting to calm him. They couldn't make sense of what he was trying to say until he settled down.

Slowly, BeastBoy's breathing began to gradually wind down to normal but he still had a frantic expression on his face. Robin gave a nod as if signaling to take his time and to explain what was wrong.

Suddenly Robin's arm winced away from BeastBoy, growing heavy as a painful tingling spread from his hand up to his elbow. From the tips of his fingers the same gray veil that had consumed Terra was now working it's way towards his shoulder, hardening every fiber of his being to stone.

Robin grunted, trying to shake his arm free, hoping as if to somehow shatter the stone encasing that was now splitting off down his midsection and towards his neck.

Another panicked cry cut through the air. Like Robin, Starfire too was found herself being slowly petrified in the same manner. Spreading from the same hand that had once occupied BeastBoy's shoulder she quickly tried her best to brush it away with her one free hand. Her efforts proving fruitless, she attempted to build a charge of starbolt energy in her now stone sheathed hand. The faintest of green glows emanated from her palm, but quickly faded as she lost all feeling in the arm. It continued to engulf her, granite almost cocooning itself over her body bit by bit.

BeastBoy stumbled backwards, falling to the ground; panic renewed in his eyes once more. He looked again to find Robin and Starfire both frozen in stone, each attempting to reach for one another.

"Star! Robin!" Cyborg rushed to Starfire, then to Robin. He was trying to make sense out of what was happening, shouting to each of his friends as if hoping they could hear him. Taking a knee beside Robin, a small panel popped open from his forearm as he frantically initiated a scan to determine the current state of his fellow Titans.

BeastBoy haggardly crawled over to Cyborg, hoping he could find out what was happening. He somehow clung to the belief that if anyone could identify whatever was happening and possibly reverse it, it had to be Cyborg.

He peered over Cyborg's shoulder, trying to catch sight of the readout on his instruments and if he'd found anything. He asked if they would be all right. He asked what was happening. But no answer came.

Startled by the silence, BeastBoy lightly shook his friend. "Cy? Cy, are they gonna be okay?"

Cyborg didn't respond.

"C'mon Cy, what's wrong?" He shook again, harder, asking again if they'd be all right. "Cy…"

Cyborg fell forward, hitting the ground with thud as a solid stone statue. He too was petrified in the same state as the others. His face was traced with terror, as his transformation had no doubt come on more suddenly and more quickly than he could react. His once brightly lit blue cybernetic components were a musty gray, and the red glow of his electronic eye had gone dark to the way of thick granite.

BeastBoy gasped, backing away. This wasn't happening. It couldn't be happening.

Raven continued to watch from a short distance away. She was beginning to sense it now. That terrible feeling was starting to grow, the one she'd sensed before. She could feel it beginning to surge in his mind. Just starting to sink its way in. And it wasn't getting any easier to observe either.

But it still wasn't at the same intensity that'd alarmed her. And as much as she wanted to stop it from going any farther, she couldn't. There were still too many blanks that kept her from understanding BeastBoy's state of mind. She still couldn't explain what this had to do with her. Terra being refreshed in his mind, she could explain. Re-living and witnessing her demise first hand, that made sense. Sadness, guilt, and fear welling up inside of him, that's what nightmares do. But there had to be some deeper meaning to it all.

She caught a quick glimpse of BeastBoy's face. His shallow breathing, his forehead in a cold sweat, and seeming every muscle in his body trembling. He looked at his hands as if contemplating why he'd brought about all of this. She'd never seen him so scared.

Raven shook her head. She didn't need to understand a thing more. She'd get to the bottom of this eventually but in her own way. Enough was enough. She couldn't let this run its course any longer. Answers or not, this had to stop.

She stepped out from cover and started making for BeastBoy. But just as she started towards him she felt something rush by her.

BeastBoy's ears perked up, detecting movement from behind him. He spun around, still on hands and knees. He was already alarmed.

Another figure moving towards him could be vaguely seen through the fog ahead.

It hardly made BeastBoy any less fearful. Still shaken he merely stood as firmly as he was able, plating one foot in front of him. He leaned forward slightly, gauging friend or foe. Making ready to either run or attack at a moments notice.

He watched as the figure drew closer, swallowing hard as its general shape began to take form through the fog.

It came out plainly into view, stopping just in front of him a few feet away.

"R-Raven…" BeastBoy said plainly only able to state the obvious. His voice was still not without uncertainty.

Raven stood before him just staring. She looked away briefly, observing the other Titans or at least statues of the former.

BeastBoy looked as well, though not able to bear the sight for very long, quickly looking back at her.

Raven looked back at him, a hint of concern in her eyes.

BeastBoy lowered his head, searching for a way to explain any of this.

She took a step towards him.

"Whoa!" BeastBoy took a step back, holding out his hand as if to signal not to come any closer. "I-I don't think that's such a good idea." Though he still wasn't completely certain of what was happening he had an unwavering suspicion that he was somehow at the center of it.

Raven crooked her head slightly, studying his jittery face. She didn't speak, merely watching BeastBoy hesitantly look between her and the stone likenesses of their friends. She waited as BeastBoy lowered his arm. Then she took another step.

"Raven," he asked almost pleadingly, taking two quick steps backwards.

She took another step, holding up her hands to her shoulders as if trying to steady him, to show she meant no harm, and that everything was going to be all right.

But BeastBoy was far from convinced, stepping away again to keep a significant distance between them.

"Please, Raven…"

She took another step.

BeastBoy scanned his surroundings, a nervous twitch from his ear as the sound of her footstep gave him pause.

Raven took one more step, now only less than two feet away.

Suddenly BeastBoy turned and ran as if a starting pistol had gone off in his mind. He darted into the thicker woodland area whizzing between the trees, not looking back. He huffed with every step, determined to keep whatever was happening from happening again.

It felt like all he'd been doing since this whole debacle started was run. But as tired as he already was exhaustion just seemed to have little effect on the green boy. Seconds felt like minutes frozen in time. The muscles in his legs starting to burn, his breathing heavier, and his knees sore and yet he still just ran. But for all his efforts it didn't feel like he was getting anywhere.

It felt like he'd past the same trees for the third or fourth time already. Everything was starting to look similar as if he was going in circles even though he knew that just wasn't possible, having run in a straight path, never deviating. He skeptically looked back as if hoping to gauge any manner of distance he'd covered.

**SMACK!**

Even in his dreams it seemed BeastBoy still retained the kind of luck only he could possess, having run right into an obstacle the instant he looked away.

"Ow!" he sat up, holding the side of his head that had caught the brunt of the impact. He dabbed the side of his face quickly, inspecting his fingers for any sign of blood. Finding none, he quickly got to his feet only to trip himself up and fall back to the ground.

He looked up to find he had run right into a sizeable rock formation. Ironic how he could be running away from an imminent danger of being turned to stone only to collide with a rock.

Taking a more thorough moment to get to his feet more gradually, shaking off the prior daze of the impact he found himself in the midst of a small clearing. Short grass was half dead in patches all round him, encircled by tight groupings of tall trees. The previously dark clouds that had once blotted the sky had eerily receded, paving the way for the dim light of a moonless sky.

BeastBoy backed away slowly, cautious of the ominous atmosphere. His animal senses could detect a dead end when they saw one. And for such a confining area to exist in a wide open environment he couldn't shake the feeling like he would've ended up here even if he hadn't averted his eyes from where he was running. Like he was driven into a dead end.

He had hung around more than long enough. Even with no clear direction or thought of destination, it was time to get moving. He turned to hurry back the way he'd come when…

"Wagh!" BeastBoy yelled as he backpedaled several steps backward.

Raven was there. With no sound, no warning, not a word, Raven was there in front of him.

"Rae," BeastBoy started, hands up as before, "Please just… ya might wanna keep your distance."

Everyone who'd come into contact with him most recently was finding themselves met with being fitted for a stone coffin. Why he himself hadn't turned to stone was still a mystery, but all he could assume was that he was a carrier.

Raven slowly moved towards him.

"Raven, ya don't understand. I-I know this doesn't make a whole lotta' sense but… ya gotta stay away," he pleaded.

Raven didn't take her eyes off him, her expression all but empty though evident of concern and a willingness to help.

"Raven?" he said sadly, fearing the inevitable.

She reached out for him.

"Please…"

He shut his eyes tightly, turning his head away, arms stiff at his sides.

"…Don't."

Darkness. Only darkness under the green eyes of BeastBoy. He tried to shut them tighter, but his eyelids were down as far as they'd go. He couldn't hear a sound, which served to both relieve him and frighten him simultaneously. He bit the side of his lip as to help alleviate the low chattering of his teeth. But he dare not look. If he didn't look at her she wouldn't turn to stone. At least that was the hope he clung to.

A soft weight rested on the top of BeastBoy's head, easily identifiable as a hand.

He cringed, still worried what was going to happen next. But he still wasn't inclined to open his eyes.

"BeastBoy?"

"I can't see you," he said in a calm desperation, "If I can't see you, you can't turn into a rock."

"BeastBoy…"

He felt the weight of her hand shift downward, curving along the back of his head. Raven's fingers contoured along the back of his scalp as her palm slid halfway towards his neck.

"Dude," he thought, " I-Is she…"

He felt the slightest sensation of her hand pulling his head forward. As if she were drawing closer.

I think maybe she's… Yeah. Yeah, I-I think she's gonna kis…"

**THWACK!**

"Agh-Yee!" BeastBoy yelped as Raven slapped him upside the back of his head. "Dude!" he bellowed, pointing an accusatory finger to Raven's face. "What is wrong with you? I try to keep you from goin' all tomb-stoned and you jus…"

It suddenly donned on BeastBoy as he was making introductory remarks to his third degree that he was now looking dead in the eyes of Raven, having looked at her without even realizing it.

She in turn merely wore a somewhat satisfied smirk. BeastBoy never was much of a deterrent for her.

"Aahh!" BeastBoy spun around with his back to Raven and both hands shielding his eyes, still holding onto his 'Medusa' theory.

Raven gave an exasperated sigh. "BeastBoy…"

"Raven, I can't let ya turn to stone," he said defiantly, squatting to the ground.

"BeastBoy, will you look at me," she responded firmly as she looked down at his backside, which was practically wearing an invitation to her foot.

"No!" he shook his head, "I know ya don't believe me, I know it sounds nuts, but I'm like totally cursed. And you're gonna' be next if you don't…"

"BeastBoy! Turn around and look at me this instant or Azar help me I'm going to give you such a kick that the smack to your head will feel like a love tap," she reeled her leg back in soccer fashion as if she was going to take a penalty kick. Which incidentally she was.

BeastBoy spun back around, standing at attention. His eyes were open but looking up at the sky, missing Raven by a wide margin. Reflex action. Through past experience he had come to assume no matter what dangers he might encounter as a teen hero there was little chance they could rival any consequences at the hands of Raven.

After a momentary cleansing breath, she grabbed hold of BeastBoy's head, aiming his field of vision directly at her. She stared right into his eyes without another word.

He shook nervously for a few seconds. Still reluctant, still scared to a degree, but after a full minute of gazing deeply into Raven's eyes he gradually relaxed. At least as relaxed as possible in keeping with some of her earlier remarks.

At that point she finally felt he was calm enough to get through to.

Raven's hand released the top of his head and gently took hold of his face as a more tranquil and caring sentiment wove its way onto Raven's expression. "Listen, I don't know what's wrong. I don't know what you 'think' is wrong."

BeastBoy's pupils held her attention, though they would nervously break direct contact from time to time. Still the fact that she was very much still flesh and blood was a somewhat reassuring sign.

"But it'll be all right," she finished, allowing a brief silence for her words to sink in.

After a moments peace she watched as BeastBoy's shoulders slowly relaxed, as did the rest of his posture. It was hard to say for certain whether or not he believed her. But she could plainly tell he felt a little better.

"R-R-Raven, I…"

She studied his face and the confliction of emotions he must've been feeling. Trusting but worried. Annoyed but grateful. Afraid but willing. It was almost like a side-by-side comparison of at least a dozen emotions at one time. Like she was holding her meditation mirror up to him at an angle, unable to see one part of him without seeing the other.

"I couldn't… I mean, I-I didn't want ya to…" he trailed off, looking down at the ground.

"I know," she replied.

Slowly, BeastBoy gradually began to calm himself. Still the slightest tinge of worry in his eyes but no longer showing signs of immediate concern.

"Wow," Raven mused to herself, leaning against a tree, hidden from view, "He portrays me more accurately in his mind than I do in my own."

Raven, the 'real' Raven, stood from a safe unnoticeable distance watching the whole event take place. Initially she had been set on confronting BeastBoy and ending this nightmare herself. But just as she was about to intervene was when she caught sight of… well… herself. An uncanny resemblance, a Raven no doubt engineered as another element of BeastBoy's mind. This doppelganger fitting her likeness had flown past her to intercept BeastBoy, causing her reluctantly to continue to observe.

She was curious as to see what results her counterpart would yield given the circumstances. At the very least her role in this dream might help explain more about the situation at hand. And she had honestly been curious as to her absence in this dream up until now when all the others had been recounted. She still had her doubts, feeling more confident had she stepped in herself but ultimately decided to remain neutral for just a bit longer. After all, this adaptation of her persona seemed quite capable. She even followed through with her forearm the same way Raven did when she smacked BeastBoy.

She watched as the Raven of BeastBoy's mind slowly extended her other arm, gently resting her other hand on his face, lowering her head to look deeply into his eyes. BeastBoy swallowed a little hard with an audible gulp.

Raven shared a look of nervousness matching BeastBoy's, suddenly having second thoughts about allowing this to continue with BeastBoy all alone with an admittedly realistic image of herself.

Her dream self's head leaned forward an inch or two.

"He… He wouldn't…" Raven murmured to herself, shaking her head. BeastBoy didn't know he was being watched, let alone by the real Raven. And he was a boy after all and boys will be boys. Especially in their dreams. "…Would he?"

BeastBoy's head pulled back slightly as if caught off guard. He parted his lips, but whether or not to speak remained to be seen.

Raven continued to watch, a brief giddy feeling in the pit of her stomach. Well, maybe 'giddy' wasn't the best word. It felt more like butterflies in her stomach, to which she was trying to douse them with gasoline and then light a match. It was such a confliction. Sure it wasn't real and BeastBoy's dreams were no one's business but his own. And if her presence here had somehow caused the danger to pass then she should leave him to his private thoughts. But yet she couldn't look away.

The dream Raven leaned closer towards BeastBoy. But BeastBoy himself was still stiff and unmoving.

Raven peered out from beside the tree just a little more.

Raven's doppelganger closed her eyes, resting her forehead lightly against BeastBoy's head.

"Umm…" he tried to think of what to say but was unable to form syllables, as he could hear nothing but the calming sounds of Raven breathing. BeastBoy remained still. His hands flat at his sides, his face deep in thought as if questioning the outcome of every action that might come next on his behalf. But he couldn't think straight. He couldn't think of what to say. He couldn't think of what to do. All he could think about was to stop thinking.

He closed his eyes, relaxing his head, letting it lean back against Raven's. After a brief moment, he peeked one eye open. Finding no resistance or change in her current demeanor, he closed his eye once more.

He inhaled slowly, holding the air in his chest briefly before exhaling just as slow.

"Aaaargh!"

"Raven?" BeastBoy's eyes opened at the sound of Raven in pain, watching her back away slow with both hands cradling her chest. "Raven, are you okay?"

She fell to her knees, falling forward, one hand holding her up against the ground. Her teeth were clenched, her eyes shut tightly almost as if fighting back tears.

"Raven!" BeastBoy rushed to her aid, kneeling beside her, placing his hand on her shoulder. "Raven, what's wrong?"

Raven just cringed tighter, her breathing growing heavy.

"Rae, c'mon. Say somethin'."

Shakily, Raven drew her arm to BeastBoy's shoulder with a tight grip, slowly looking up at BeastBoy, her whole body almost convulsing. She opened her eyes.

"R-Raven?" he asked, concern growing more apparent, looking for any kind of response.

She met eyes with him once more. Suddenly…

"Hhghn-ph!"

Raven gasped, arching her back, throwing back her head as she shot straight up. Her cloak fanned out wildly, whipping and flailing around as if caught in an updraft. Yet there wasn't so much as a breeze in the air.

From just beneath the clasp of her cloak, dozens of gray veins began to seep onto her leotard, spreading and reaching across her in all directions. They curled around her arms, stretched along her waist, and rooted into her legs. For every inch they spread, the wider they expanded. They started to bulge and overlap one another, draping more and more of Raven's form in a thick veil of gray, starting to darken. Starting to solidify. Starting to harden.

Before long Raven's limbs were frozen into position, unable to move. From the shoulders down her entire body began to mineralize and set into stone.

"Raven!"

She met eyes with him as the last of the stone barbs crawled along her cheeks, encircling last features of her face. The once bright luster of her pupils faded, extinguishing the last trace of life in her stone figure.

A moment passed.

"Raven?" he took a step towards her.

Her stone face remained stiff and unmoving still frozen in place.

"Rae?" He poked her shoulder. "Raven? Come on!" He took hold of her shoulders, attempting to lightly shake her but unable to budge her sturdy rock exterior. "Please!"

No change. No movement. No hope.

The harsh reality began to sink in. BeastBoy shook his head as if trying to shed any kind of perception that this was happening. He ran his hands through his hair, combing his thoughts for an answer to what had transpired.

A drop of water struck his head. Then another. Slowly a steady rain began to come down.

He looked up as a flash of lightning streaked overhead. A booming crack of thunder shook the sky, BeastBoy taking a step back only to feel something bump into him. Alarmed, he turned around to find Terra, still frozen in stone as he'd left her before.

"Wagh!" BeasyBoy yelped, jumping back as another flash of lighting illuminated the horrified look on her face as if aimed solely at him. "W-Wha?" he looked back the way he'd come, trying to figure out how her statue had appeared out of thin air.

He turned, trying to gather his thoughts, to make some sense of all this. No sooner had his head turned had he came to sight of Cyborg's statue, now upright and only a foot in front of him.

Confused and frightened, he stepped to the side, uneasily trying to exit from his best friend's field of view as if its eyes were looking down on him. Judging him.

Thunder cracked again to the flash of lightning.

BeastBoy jolted in the other direction, quickly looking to find Starfire opposite of him, petrified and as before, eyes feeling as if focused solely at him.

"Aah!" he shrieked, mortified at the sight of another of his fallen friend suddenly appearing.

Another flash of lighting synced to the crack of thunder from behind, almost as if guiding his view to the sight of Robin to which he jumped backwards, startled.

He turned and turned, but no matter where he looked stood one of his friends, frozen in stone and barring his way. Terra, Robin, Starfire, Cyborg, all of them. He was surrounded.

BeastBoy's heart was growing heavier. His mind was grinding to a halt. So much shock, grief and sadness to process all at once it felt as though any second his sanity would simply be yanked out from under him. He shut his eyes, hands covering his ears, attempting to blot out everything around him, trying to get a grip on himself.

He took a deep breath, shaking his head as if trying one last time to convince himself this wasn't for real. That he was going to look up and none of this would have ever transpired. "Not happening. This… this is NOT happening." He steadied his nerves and looked up.

Two stone glazed eyes met his own.

Raven's solidified body was now right in front of him, not a breath of life to her, only her suffering and scared mineralized expression frozen on her face. The spattering rain drops rolled down her face like tears.

BeastBoy's face went blank.

He was all alone. His friends, immortalized as stone statues all around him, each one projecting a different message that only he could seem to hear. How he couldn't save them. How he let them down. How he failed them.

BeastBoy's head started pounding. Clutching his head tightly, wincing from the pain. His breathing became faster, more erratic. He hunched over, shaking his head every which way.

Prying his hands away from his still throbbing head. He looked down at his hands, squinting, hardly able to keep his eyes open through such intense pain. He could feel something growing inside of him. Grief turned to frustration. Frustration turned to anger. Anger turned to…

"AARRRRGGHH!"

The fingertips of BeastBoy's gloves burst wide open, razor sharp claws bulging from his fingers. Thick patches of dark green fur began to swell under his uniform, starting to tear at the seams. His forearms grew thicker, his biceps doubled in size. His spinal cord echoed thick popping sounds of each vertebrae realigning itself as his shoulders bulked outwards to match the massive muscular overhaul taking shape over his back.

His legs tightened as his thighs and calf muscles expanded, more and more fur uprooting through his outfit. His shoes split right in half revealing clawed feet. His small body began to drastically expand, both in mass and with muscle.

His head lurched forward as a thick mane of green fur sprouted up from his neckline. His teeth sharpened, his pupils vanished, as did the last remaining trace of humanity. Cold white eyes narrowing as a low growl rumbled from his throat.

Drawing back for an instant, drawing air to his chest, it swung its head upwards.

"ERRRRRRRRRAAAAGGGGHHHHHH!" it cut loose a savage roar.

BeastBoy had reverted to his feral form. A form more animal than any of his other transformations. Because unlike the others, which allowed BeastBoy to assume animal form while maintaining his human state of mind, this form was closer to that of a human beast with an animal's state of mind. A primal and vicious looking hulk of a creature.

The beast took sight of the statues surrounding him. He dropped low to the ground, bearing his claws before leaping into the air and landing with a mighty slash of his arm. Crumbling the statue of Terra to rubble.

It turned, rabidly pouncing on another statue, letting both arms slam down to break off the arms of Robin before body slamming the remaining stone figure against the ground into pieces.

It grabbed hold of Starfire with both arms, squeezing the statue with such forceful pressure that the torso imploded, letting Starfire's head fall to the ground.

From there it lunged at Cyborg, driving his shoulder dead center into the statue's base, knocking it over. The beast then squatted, building strength in his legs before leaping high into the air and crashing down on the stone figure with a bone crushing stomp that sent stone fragments scattering in all directions.

One of the larger pieces made impact with Raven, chipping a portion of her face.

The beast's head snapped to the side at the sound of the impact, narrowing its eyes at the last remaining target. It charged right for Raven's stone likeness.

The beast leaped forward, landing right in front of its prey. Teeth bared, claws at the ready, it swung its arm forward but only to pull back its strike to an abrupt halt just beneath the stone figures chin, the tips of its claws just barely within contact.

The beast's eyes narrowed with a low growl under his breath as if struck by a lingering sense of recognition. As if the tiniest remnants something familiar lingered in its mind.

It crooked its head to the side. Then to the other, seemingly studying the face of the statue.

Slowly it raised its clawed hand to the statue's cheek, tracing the jaw line. It's breathing slowed but still not absent of the faintest snarl. As if caught between instinct and memory. It moved its head closer looking deeper into the statue's face, it's nose twitching as if trying to place a scent, which faded with every drop of rain. The briefest look of sadness dawned on the creature's eyes before shutting them tightly with another growl.

The Beast's hand faltered abruptly, it's sharp finger tips accidentally breaking off the slightest bit of frail stone, chipping away a lock of Raven's mineralized hair.

Ferocity returned to the beast's eyes, memory and whatever lingering humanity remained cut off by overpowering instinct and aggression. It swung back its arms, swiping forward with a deadly crisscrossing strike, breaking apart the statue from above the shoulders. Chunks of stone crumbled to the ground as the beast reeled back its leg before lunging its knee into the center of the now headless figure. The remnants of the torso shattered apart.

The beast breathed heavily, huffing at the ground with one last look at the debris strewn about. Friends, statues, victims, all broken into heaps of splintered granite at its feet. It swung its head upward with a primal howl. A fleeting sadness and boundless anger echoed through the bleak sky, momentarily quieting the thunder overhead, which seemed to cease at the beast cry.

Raven stared in shock. She'd only seen this form once before, but she was unaware if this was just a manifestation of the dream overshadowing BeastBoy or if in fact he was perhaps suffering a lapse of control. Either way, it began to explain the strong emotional emanation she detected earlier. Such a feral state would easily overwhelm BeastBoy's mind almost to the point of overload.

It was a part of BeastBoy she related to. Where as she had her dark side to keep in check, BeastBoy had this inner animal inside of him. It was still an extension of BeastBoy to a degree, not some mindless monster. But to be brought on so suddenly and in a heightened emotional state made it far more difficult to control. Instinct over rationality as it were.

The beast steadied itself, sinking its head between his shoulders, resting its fists squarely on the ground.

Suddenly it's animal instincts went on alert, its head jolting back up. It quickly turned, looking over its shoulder to find Raven.

She stood barely ten feet from the hulking creature. A blank stare as the rain continued to fall, pooling drops to drip from her damp hair.

Slowly the Beast turned the rest of its body towards her. A single fist unfurled to bare its claws and one leg stepping backwards as if prone to pounce on her in an instant. Her deadpan expression doing little to pacify the creature.

Raven didn't speak a word, merely continuing to stare deep into the cold eyes of the beast.

The beast in turn stood unchanged, patiently in position. Not flinching from its stance. Still at the ready to attack but seemingly biding its time to learn her intent.

The rain began to die down to a light sprinkle but the sky still remained bleak as ever. An occasional rumbling of thunder overhead continued to highlight the dismal atmosphere around them.

Raven raised her arm towards the beast.

The beast shot forward, taking the gesture as a challenge as it leapt high into the air, bearing down on Raven with both hands out in striking fashion as it cut loose a ferocious snarl.

Not flinching from the spot Raven merely looked up at the airborne behemoth coming straight for her. With the slightest of effort she thrust her palm forward, spreading out her fingers as a field of black energy surrounded her hand.

A solid ring of energy encircled the beast's torso, yanking him swiftly to the ground with a splat as he landed in a thick layer of freshly wet mud.

A small spattering of mud landed short of Raven's feet to which she just looked down with a sigh. "Impetuous as ever," she took a step towards the beast. It hadn't been her intent to attack, merely to show she meant no harm. Of course BeastBoy wasn't exactly in his most rational state of mind either.

The beast thrashed in the mud anchored to the ground by the still constricting energy around his waist, attempting to pull and pry apart the mystic energy that had ensnared him.

She moved closer, steadily but cautiously.

The beast instantly ceased its efforts upon noticing Raven drawing closer. To which it roared and growled, clawing and swiping at her even without the faintest indication of being able to advance any closer.

Raven came to a stop in front of the creature just out of reach of it still straining arms trying to get hold of her. She stared without a word as the beast still attempted to reach for her, letting him wear himself out a bit more. He might be more susceptible to reasoning if he burned off a little of that aggressive energy that seemed to be flowing through him.

"BeastBoy," she spoke, kneeling down to eye level.

The beast merely growled louder, continuing to grab for her. It's clawed hands skimming and digging into the damp ground trying to pull himself towards her. But he didn't budge an inch.

"BeastBoy," she repeated a bit more firmly.

Realizing his efforts to be for naught he swiped at the ground sending a glob of mud at her, catching Raven in the side of the face. The beast continued to attempt to break free, as Raven merely remained motionless with a sour look on her face as the soggy muck dribbled down her cheek. "Once again BeastBoy's maturity shines through," she huffed as she wiped the mud from her face.

The beast gave one more incessant roar of aggravation. Just then its hands and feet became engulfed by black spheres of energy, dropping and anchoring themselves to the ground. He pulled and twisted his shoulders trying to break free but to no avail. Save for his head, he was now completely immobilized. He looked up at Raven just as the glow dissipated from her hands. She looked back at the beast, folding her arms with a slim manner of satisfaction on her face. As if saying, 'serves you right'.

However this new development did little to hamper his efforts, fiercely jerking and tugging whatever muscles he could. Confinement of any measure seemed not to be an acceptable option. For several minutes he struggled a substantial effort attempting to break free. But it wasn't long before soreness and fatigue started to grow on his face. Popping and creaking sounds faintly echoed from his joints. He was either going to tire himself out or dislocate something. Whichever came first.

Finally after a few minutes of straining, his head dropped against the ground, his chin sinking into the mud with one last growl under his breath as if conceding bitter defeat.

"BeastBoy, I know you're in there somewhere," she began. "It's just a dream. All of it."

The beast merely narrowed its eyes at her, giving the coldest of stares.

"Everyone is fine. I'm fine." She paused to study the beast's face, but it remained unchanged. It was difficult to determine if any of this was getting through to him. "Whatever it is that you're afraid of, it's all in your head. I won't let anything like that happen. None of us will."

The beast continued to just look coldly at her.

"I want to help you. But you have to let me."

She leaned forward.

The beast's eyes went wide. This was the moment he'd been waiting for. His head lurched towards her, snapping at her with his sharp teeth as if trying to bite her.

But Raven quickly shifted to the side, dodging the beast's jaws clamping down on her. Swiftly she took firm hold of the beast's head, her fingers crackling with energy. Her chakra too sparked with a similar effect.

"Alright, BeastBoy. This is your wakeup call," she exclaimed, pressing her forehead against the beast's, her red gemstone lighting up.

A jolt of energy surged through the beast, eyes going wide. It shook its head vigorously to shake her off, but Raven held firm. It squirmed. It twisted. It gave one last roar with everything ounce of strength it had left.

"RRRRRRAAAARRWWWWRRRRRGGHHH!"

"AAAAAAAAAAGGGGHHHHHH!"

BeastBoy sprang up in bed drenched in a cold sweat. The look on his face said it all. Confusion and terror. He rubbed his head, panting to catch his breath. Somewhat in a daze he woozily shook off the cringing feeling in the back of his mind as if able to recall with vivid detail the terrible dream that had preceded him.

He studied the room for anything out of place, trying to distinguish if this too were a continuation of the dream and if any of it had truly been real and. Fairly certain he was indeed awake, he looked to the side to find Raven kneeling at his bedside.

They stared at one another, BeastBoy clearly at a loss for words. Who wouldn't be? BeastBoy had played out a scenario in his mind of himself or at least a part of himself loosing and eventually destroying everything that he held dear. Raven herself was no stranger to horrific nightmares, but all of her visions were of destruction at the will and influence of her father, not by her own hand. She could only imagine what he must've been feeling.

Raven didn't expect him to say much, at least not right away. No doubt an explanation was in order as to her presence in his room among the least of things to discuss. But only a tense stillness followed, neither of them taking eyes off one another. So Raven opted to break the silence the best way she knew how, placing a comforting hand on BeastBoy's shoulder.

"Tea?" she said plainly.

A short while later BeastBoy sat with his elbows propped up on the kitchen table, holding his head in his hands as he hunched over in his seat. A single overhead lamp and a few small fixture lights in the kitchen dimly lit the dining area where BeastBoy sat as Raven waited patiently by a kettle on the stove.

BeastBoy hadn't said a word the whole time she'd brought him from his room to the kitchen. Only the occasional nod or shake of the head would serve as a response. And amidst all of this he'd still kept a few feet distance between himself and Raven on the way there. An understandable notion given the circumstances, one which Raven seemed to honor. No stranger to the notion herself she was more than willing to grant him a little space even though it was the very thing she had been trying to get to the bottom of. Which, incidentally, she had.

Having touched with BeastBoy's mind filled in a lot of the blanks. Maybe a few too many than she would've wanted all at one time but she'd found the cause of this sudden boundary between her and BeastBoy.

In a way she'd been right all along, and in several others she'd been dead wrong. But even the one thing she was right about was not in the sense that she'd originally thought.

Raven's first perception was that BeastBoy was keeping space between them because she'd aggravated a sore spot from the past and he was acting out of subtle resentment. This was not the case.

Her later observation on the training grounds was that he was being distant on account of weighing down his own thoughts with past sentiments of sadness or guilt. That also wasn't entirely accurate.

Lastly and dare say the most far-fetched hypothesis was that he was just waiting out the remainder of the bet. That he had somehow gotten bored and that being around Raven and spending time as such was now without any lasting appeal. Nothing could be further from the truth.

But there was one detail that was certain from the beginning.

Terra.

One such critical factor, as she might have suspected, was the remembrance of Terra brought up at the arcade the day before. However it wasn't in the sense that she would've thought. Kind of like a 'yes and no' answer. Yes, it was the trigger. No, it wasn't the cause.

Refreshing Terra in BeastBoy's mind, even just by namesake had triggered something in his subconscious. Memories of her and the time she'd spent with him and the other Titans, good, bad, or indifferent had all flooded back into his mind. But rather than lamenting her loss or questioning what might've been, it rather caused him to analyze Raven from a different perspective.

Right up until the tragic end, BeastBoy and Terra shared a short but constantly blossoming relationship. Whether or not it surpassed the benchmark of good friends was open to debate. But what was certain was that BeastBoy and Terra had shared much with each other. They'd spent a lot of time together and during that time they'd gotten comfortable with one another.

But during that time was also when Terra had drifted towards Slade and the fateful events that followed.

Now it seemed that BeastBoy was spending a lot of time with Raven. And they too had become much more comfortable around each other. For certain there were the occasional bumps in the road as it were, but as a whole Raven was far more approachable. There was this kind of open honesty between each other. When Raven thought something particularly immature or idiotic of BeastBoy, she just came right out and said it. To the same token when BeastBoy felt suffocated by silence or too dull for the moment by Raven's behavior, he'd let her know about it. Or at least as much as possible without fear of being mystically dismembered.

But the point remained valid that there was this new kind of bond forming around them.

And that was what put up wall around her.

If it could happen to Terra, who was to say the same thing wouldn't happen again to Raven? And once again, BeastBoy would be at the center of it all. Or so he thought based on what she'd experienced in his mind.

For whatever reason, BeastBoy seemed to blame himself for what happened to Terra. To what capacity was anyone's guess, but it seemed as if he was starting to notice some sort of similarity between how he got along with Terra to how he was now getting along with Raven. And he was afraid the same thing would happen again. That somehow he would lead Raven down the wrong path and ultimately it would lead to an equally tragic end. Despite how impossible it all sounded the imagery in Beastboy's dream alone was proof enough just how certain he was of this theory. And so putting some manner of distance between her and cutting off the growth of that bond between them seemed the only rational thing to do.

The kettle on the stove gave a low whistle. Carefully, Raven removed the kettle from the stove after turning off the burner.

BeastBoy still remained silent at the kitchen table; uneasy to keep his eyes closed in spite of how tired he was having been deprived of peaceful slumber on account of his nightmare.

Raven set a teacup down in front of him, startling him momentarily, clearly taken by surprise having been so out of touch with everything around him. "Thanks," he said quietly, rubbing his eyes.

Raven simply nodded as she took a seat across from him with a cup of her own. Blowing gently over the top of the cup to part the wafting steam, she took a small sip.

BeastBoy picked up his cup, eyes lazily drifting off to the side, casually taking large swig of tea. "HAAAAAAAAGGHH! HAAAH! HAH!" his eyes went wide, nearly dropping the cup to frantically fan his tongue, clearly not prepared for the hot fluid. "AAAGGH!"

Raven sat in front of him with the most casual of faces. "Too cold?"

BeastBoy gave a small hateful look her way. "Frigid." Though it was hard to tell if he was sarcastically referring to the tea or commenting on her less than concerned demeanor.

Raven merely took another sip. The atmosphere felt a little less tense now.

BeastBoy just stared down into his tea, letting his head sink between his shoulders. Raven held her cup loosely with both hands at her mouth letting it rest against her chin as she watched him, waiting for some kind of response. This newfound patience of BeastBoy's was pleasant. Surprising and also frustrating at the moment, but a pleasant alternative to far worse ways he could choose to cope.

He took a deep breath. "So…"

Raven took another sip of tea, choosing to show BeastBoy she was in no rush for him to clear his head. "So…" she openly repeated.

"So… how much… ya know, did you…" he traced the edge of the cup with his finger.

"All of it, pretty much," she cast her eyes down at the table.

A short silence followed.

"What I did, going into your mind," she set down her tea in front of her, "I only did it out of concern."

BeastBoy gave a heavy sigh. The only thing that struck him as worse than the dream itself was having someone else along for the ride. "Scary, huh?"

"Yes," she replied simply, "Yes it was."

BeastBoy took a sip of tea, now cooler and the brief scolding in his tongue fading. As he swallowed a look of disgust crept over his face as if trying to resist the urge to spit it back out right into Raven's face. His face cringed, scrunching his nose and shutting his eyes. "Ugh-yuck. I thought this stuff was supposed to help ya get over bad dreams."

"It's supposed to calm your nerves and help clear your head."

BeastBoy just sat quietly.

"Well?"

"Well what?" Raven replied.

"Where's the rest of it?"

Raven crooked her head at him slightly, unsure what he was talking about.

"Ya know. It clears your head, but yours is already blank, or something like that?" he forced a small grin.

Raven closed her eyes, lowering her head. There was that empty smile again.

"BeastBoy?" she said quietly, "Stop."

His grin faded. "I was just trying to…"

"No. You're forcing yourself."

"I… I-I don't know what ya…" BeastBoy gave a tense chuckle.

"BeastBoy. Me, your dream, front row seat." She said in calm defiance. "Seeing someone's thoughts and hearing someone's thoughts are two separate things. Whatever is on your mind, just come right out and say it."

BeastBoy hung his head off to the side. He didn't respond.

"Is it something to do with Terra?" she asked.

BeastBoy stirred in his seat, suddenly seeming a bit restless.

Raven looked away as if confirming her suspicion. "I didn't mean to put the image back into your head after all this time and I was hoping not to bring her up again, but after seeing what went on inside your mind its clear that something about this isn't quite resolved inside you."

BeastBoy rubbed his arm, looking at the floor as if searching for words. It had been somewhat evident that his mind was somehow re-evaluating the circumstances between him and Terra. "I just…" he paused. "It feels like all the really bad stuff that happened to her… happened cause of me."

Raven listened without a word.

"I mean, she took off, she joined Slade, and went all-out bad guy. Yeah, she did right at the end but… e-everything in between…" he trailed off.

"BeastBoy?"

BeastBoy remained somewhat in a daze as unable to push his own thoughts from his mind.

"Look at me."

BeastBoy slowly turned to find Raven, eyes locked on him. He did his best to look her in the eye but couldn't help but waver from her gaze every few seconds.

"This might be difficult for you to listen to, but it's something that you need to hear," she explained.

He lowered his head for a moment before bringing it right back up again, as close to a nod as he could muster.

"Terra's life was hers to lead. Her choices, however difficult or painful they may have been, were still hers and hers alone to make."

BeastBoy sighed. "So what'd I do to push her towards the wrong choice?"

"Nothing," Raven said firmly, "And beating yourself up over it won't change that."

BeastBoy lightly shook his head. "I let her down, Raven," he contested getting to his feet, pacing back and forth briefly, "I failed her. And part of being one of the good guys is ya don't fail people. Especially one of your own." He folded his arms as if ready to rest his case.

"You didn't fail her. She failed herself. I know you don't want to hear that but you need to accept it," she said assuredly without blinking.

BeastBoy fumed for an instant, turning his back to Raven, tightening his fists.

"The life of a hero is a difficult one," she seemed to agree to a point on what he had been trying to say, "And as such there are a few absolutes in our line of work. And one of the first ones is you can't save everyone."

"Argh!" he fumed under his breath, still keeping his back to her, his fists trembling. It was indeed difficult for BeastBoy hear in such plain words that Terra, the person whom he once trusted so openly was seemingly beyond redemption. That his own thoughts betrayed him and her memory.

But Raven remained calm. She watched his every movement, patiently awaiting his response.

After a moment her words began to sink in as BeastBoy's shoulders slowly relaxed, drooping back down as his fingers uncoiled. He turned back towards her with his head hung low. It was hard to say if he was ready to take what she said to heart or if he was merely going to feel sorry for himself more than he already had.

"I just…" he began, sadness and disappointment clear in his voice, "I thought I knew her better."

Raven motioned for him to sit back down. And after a fleeting hesitance, he returned to his seat at the table.

"I know it wasn't a real long time but, I thought I knew that if it came down to us or the bad guys, she'd have sided with us." He leaned his head back as he stared up at the ceiling.

"She did," Raven agreed, "She wanted friends. But she also wanted control. And for whatever reason, she deduced Slade could facilitate that control either quicker or better than we could."

BeastBoy let his head hang back down. "It just feels like there was something I coulda' done. Something I coulda' said. Something… I don't know… something I shoulda' done differently."

Raven leaned forward. "You were honest. You were compassionate. You were supportive. And you never judged her. If there was anything more that could've helped her, it wasn't on your part."

He gave a faint smile as sign of appreciation, but still he faltered. "But… it still kinda comes back to what I said. I mean, all the bad stuff happened to Terra when I was around her. And now… well, you and… me… we're kinda… sorta… ya know…" he coyly scratched the back of his head.

Raven's expression gave way to a sort of passive but bewildered stare. She quickly cleared her throat, shaking off a subtle warmth in her face. There were so many ways she could've interpreted that statement if she hadn't known what he was getting at. He had seemingly put half the problem behind him, exposing the other half of what had been troubling him. "It… would be fair to say we have grown somewhat… um…"

A rare occurrence for Raven to be without words.

"Y-yeah." BeastBoy remarked doing his best to bridge the gap of the conversation.

Another period of abrupt silence came over the kitchen. Like they both knew what they were trying to say but didn't know how to say it.

"I can understand." Raven started, folding her hands, "It's a reasonable estimation. After all, our circumstances have changed considerably in a short period of time. Maybe not so much the circumstances themselves but… our interactions and mind set as of late. To be honest, I'd begun to look at the matter differently as well."

BeastBoy turned his head faintly.

Raven too had begun to notice, before this incident began, the more relaxed nature between the both of them. The chores, the trip through her mirror, the arcade, all illustrated how their conduct had sort of evolved towards one another. One would still test the others nerves from time to time but it was part of their nature. And now was as good a time as any to express that change in mindset. If getting it off her chest would help BeastBoy get it off his…

Raven closed her eyes, collecting her thoughts. "I admit, I… also have been grasping our arrangement with less disdain than when we first started. Our situation 'is' more… tolerable. It's far from ideal, but there are worse ways I could be spending my time. Bet aside, it does feel as though we have grown in terms of 'understanding' each other. And it seems that a part of you is afraid. Afraid that bad things will happen because of this. And you need to know that 'that' won't happen."

BeastBoy looked away, clearly less than convinced. Raven expected this much. It was a lot for him to take in considering what he'd just gone through. She could tell that he felt a little better but doubt still lingered in his mind.

He might have been willing to put Terra behind him once more. But now it seemed that he couldn't look at the both of them behaving as they were without somehow looking back to the similarities of how he and Terra had gotten along just before she went astray. And he simply did not want that to happen again.

"BeastBoy, do you remember what I said at the arcade?" Raven asked.

He rolled his eyes to the side, trying to think back. Trying to filter so many of Raven's big words for something specific and pertinent to the present situation seemed a bit much for BeastBoy in his current state of mind. "Um…"

"Right before I stormed out, one of my counterparts getting the better of me?"

It all came back to him. But it was obvious he was reluctant to repeat it.

"I said I wasn't Terra," she said calmly. "It was in poor taste at the time, and I had been riled up, but I meant it. And it still holds meaning now. I'm not Terra, nor have I ever tried to be."

BeastBoy looked off to the side.

"And you thought so too. After we got back?" she reminded him further, "You told me you never expected me to fill anyone's shoes but my own. One of your better speaking moments for the year," she added with a dry smile.

He gave a dull look, hardly amused.

"So, similarities or otherwise, you cannot hold a fear against me for being something that I'm not." She sat up straight.

BeastBoy's eyelids closed as if weighing the meaning of her words in his mind.

He looked up, meeting eyes with Raven. She, in turn looked right back. And for the first time a much more familiar, more genuine smile warmly drew itself upon BeastBoy's face.

Raven did her best to match his smile with one of her own, though considerably smaller by comparison. She was never very big on outward expressions but the unwavering feeling of relief she felt made it slightly easier.

They continued to tare deeply into one another's eyes for almost a full minute.

BeastBoy visibly flinched, quickly breaking eye contact and looking off to the side.

"What?" Raven asked, mildly alarmed if his past feeling of guilt had gotten a second wind.

"Sorry." He coyly ran his fingers through his hair. "I'm used to having to think of either a quick or a long term apology when you make direct eye contact like that."

"Oh. I understand," she nodded to herself. It made sense. Locking eyes with BeastBoy was typically reserved for more infuriating occasions in the past. "Wait," her head crooked at him, crossing her arms, "What's the difference between a quick apology and a long term apology?"

"Uh…" He tensed up for a split second. He twiddled his thumbs on the table. "Well, a quick apology is usually right after I do something stupid that bugs ya or ticks you off. And it involves me just… ya know, fessin' up to what I did and remindin' you of what a dunce I can be."

Raven crooked an eyebrow as if undecided whether or not she should be annoyed that he had a formula for how to deal with her. But she was willing to let it slide for the moment considering he was openly willing to admit he could be a lame brain at times.

"And a long term apology?"

"A more detailed description of the stupid thing I did, a longer list of the ways I'm such an idiot, and… a really sincere 'I'm Sorry'." He leaned across the table, highlighting the 'sorry' with a pair of big puppy dog eyes.

"Hmm…" Raven mused to herself. "Impressive. I suppose that's two things you're good at."

"Two?" he looked questionably at her, "What's the other?"

Raven leaned across the table, meeting BeastBoy at the center of the table, kissing him on the lips. BeasBoy went wide eyed, freezing to the spot. But slowly his eyes closed relaxing as he…

"BeastBoy!"

"Huh-who-wha-…"His eyes snapped open, sitting upright at the table. Observing his surroundings he found Raven opposite of him at the other side of the table, her normally passive stare hinting a touch of concern.

"BeastBoy, are you all right?" she asked plainly.

"Uh… yeah?" he answered, still somewhat unclear what had just happened.

"I was telling you not to be afraid of me being something that I'm not and you started to doze off," Raven explained.

BeastBoy shook his head. It was just a dream. Not necessarily a bad dream. A mildly confusing dream perhaps, but a welcome alternative to what had proceeded him earlier that night.

"I thought perhaps your nightmare had begun to resurface. You were making a strange face. Well, no stranger than it is right now," she added, clearly starting feel that for the most part BeastBoy was starting to shift back to his old self.

"Like… I was in pain? Like I was freakin' out?"

"Like a goldfish at feeding time," she recalled the look of his face and the twitching of his lips.

BeastBoy shyly covered his mouth as Raven took his now empty cup to the sink. At which point a small yawn grudgingly escaped his mouth.

"You must be feeling a bit better if you're able to fall back to sleep so easily," she analyzed.

"Not as hard as ya might think," he fanned another yawn. His eyelids were still on the heavy side and he felt sluggish even when propped up at the table.

"Do you think you're okay with going back to bed? You're obviously tired."

BeastBoy gave a reluctant pause, still weighing the potential chance of another nightmare. Needless to say, none too anxious to revisit another bad dream by chance. But tired as he was, sleep seemed inevitable. Whether he wanted to or not. "Y-Yeah. I guess so."

Raven came up behind him, placing a hand on his shoulder. "Come on. I'll walk you back to your room," she offered with the sort of passive consideration BeastBoy was starting to grow accustomed to.

They rounded the corner in the hallway to BeastBoy's quarters, both of them walking side by side. Which was more reassuring on Raven's part to see that BeastBoy had dropped that previously confounding boundary between them, no longer keeping a particular distance from her as if she were a leper. That everything between them had returned to some degree of normalcy. Another experience that could be chalked up to another of those 'growing understanding' moments she'd mentioned before.

She would occasionally look over at him since they departed the kitchen. But he would only stare straight ahead as if his mind was preoccupied on something else. Which struck her as no surprise. Nightmares of that caliber weren't the kind of thing you just forgot about. And even once forgotten they could easily slip back into the mind at a moment's notice, almost anything able to trigger them. She would just have to hope he'd take what she'd said to heart, that his spirit would be strong enough to keep it out of his thoughts, and that his own empty headedness would work in his favor for once and it would slip his mind altogether.

BeastBoy on the other hand was far more preoccupied about Raven. More specifically, the questioning of Raven and her appearance in the brief daydream when he nodded off back in the kitchen.

Why did she show up out of the blue like that when he dozed off? And more importantly, why was she kissing him?

His face got warm just thinking about it.

Had to be a side effect of lack of sleep, right? It made sense that after a really bad dream a really good one would balance things out. But why Raven? Not that he was opposed. But of all the things normally present in his dreams, good dreams, why her all of a sudden?

Perhaps after the terrifying premise of loosing her in such a horrible way, an equally positive rendition of being closer to her balanced it out in his mind. A way of subconsciously reassuring himself that everything was going to be alright.

BeastBoy quietly shook his head as if trying to flip the kill switch on his brain. It was bad enough to have to mull over bad thoughts and fear inducing dreams, but questioning and rationalizing 'pleasant' thoughts and 'good' dreams was way too much. All this continuous thinking was starting to hurt his head.

He'd just label it as nightmares tinkering with his thoughts. Or maybe Raven slipped something in his tea to help him sleep and it was making him delusional. Whatever the case may be.

A few moments later they arrived, now standing in front of the door to BeastBoy's quarters.

Raven looked beside her at BeastBoy who merely stood motionless, staring at the door. He seemed calm enough. However it just didn't seem like he was all there. "Here we are," she finally announced somewhat awkwardly after a full minute without a word or movement towards the door.

BeastBoy lowered his head slightly, but otherwise without any activity.

Perhaps she'd made the notion to go back to sleep too soon? Maybe he was trying to reassure himself that it was only a dream. Maybe he was still mulling over their talk from the kitchen.

"BeastBoy, are you sure you're good to try to go back to sleep?" Raven asked. "I can make you another cup of tea… if it'll help."

"Hmm?" his eyes shifted as he turned his head towards her. "Oh! No! No, I'm cool," he went wide-eyed, slouching, casually waving off her offer as if he'd come out of trance.

Raven continued to observe him. There was no doubt a great deal going through his mind. Maybe their talk was starting fully to sink in and he was slowly starting to absolve himself of guilt, fear, and all the other strong emotional anchors that had surged in his mind.

She didn't sense any problem. Just a bit of quiet tension, but nothing above normal levels for someone who'd had the kind of bad dream he'd had. His mind was probably scrambling for some kind of diversion to keep from thinking about it.

"Well… if you're sure," she offered him the chance to reconsider.

"Nah, I'm okay." He walked forward, opening the door, feeling his eyelids growing heavier, now beginning to droop. "But hey," he turned after setting one foot inside, "Thanks for… ya know…"

Raven remained still giving only a small nod. "Anytime."

BeastBoy tried to smile as best he could in appreciation. But it was as if the weight of his eyelids were spreading to the rest of his face, his cheeks weighing down his mouth, faintly curling a smirk.

He took a deep breath, exhaling calmly as he turned back and took another step into his room.

"Good night, BeastBoy," she added as he stepped inside.

"G'night, Raven," he gestured with a wave of his hand, almost dragging his feet along the floor as he walked towards his bed. "I'd tell ya sweet dreams, but I think I could use'em lots more."

He was so busy exhausting what energy he had left to get to bed that he'd left the door wide open. Raven took a step forward to close his door.

"Cause I don't know…," he yawned one last time, falling forwards into his mattress, "If I'm over it."

**FLUMP!**

She heard him flop into the pillow just as she shut the door. "Hmmph," she laughed inward in a whisper as she turned back the way she'd come. The thought that 'as soft in the head as BeastBoy was he probably didn't even need a pillow' couldn't help but enter her mind.

Raven let out a yawn of her own, holding one hand against the wall to steady herself.

She was past due to resume her slumber as well.

And if she didn't get enough beauty rest, someone would most likely pay the next morning. And from past experience, nine to one odds were that BeastBoy would fit the description of 'someone'. And the last thing she wanted to do was offset everything that she'd just repaired between them with another tactless act.

But at least this would be one less thing for her to toss and turn over.

Suddenly an audible swishing sound came from behind her.

Raven turned to see BeastBoy lazily walking towards her. His eyes were half open, his posture just below fully upright and his arms hung down to his sides.

Maybe second thoughts about trying to sleep again so soon kicked in.

"BeastBoy?" she asked, crooking her head at him. "Change your mind about that te-"

He reached up as he gently cupped her cheeks in his hands before kissing her deeply.

Shocked, stunned, bewildered, and… other emotionally charged words she never considered to be associated with BeastBoy raised flags in her vocabulary.

Was he sleepwalking? Out of his head? Contemplating certain death? Surely he knew what she could do to him. BeastBoy more so than anyone. No one else had been more familiar to her wrath. He could almost be entitled to a national holiday for getting Raven angry.

She had been understanding and compassionate to his situation up until now. But concern and compassion only went so far.

And yet this whole time she had questioning what he was doing or what he had been thinking, she'd hadn't made the slightest effort to stop. The smallest attempt to break away. She just stood there, blank faced, as BeastBoy's lips remained tenderly connected to her own.

A moment later, BeastBoy pulled away, delicately removing his hands from her face. Droopy eyed, he looked at her for a split second before turning around, letting out a deep sigh. "Okay. NOW, I'm over it."

And then just as idly as he'd come, he started back towards his room.

Raven remained stiff, frozen to the spot in the position BeastBoy had lip locked her in. Her jaw locked, her eyes aimlessly staring off into space.

Slowly she started to come out of it, woozily swaying forwards. She shook her head, rattling loose whatever dumbfounded feeling had stunned her.

Part of her wanted to demand an explanation. Part of her wanted to strike him with sufficient force that would render him immobile for the remainder of this stupid wager. And part of her…

Well, part of her wanted to split the difference. Only mildly kick him in backside, THEN ask what that was about, THEN return the kiss, THEN wa-

…

What was that last part?

It didn't matter. Only one immediate response could be expected, rational minded or otherwise.

A thick cracking of Raven's knuckles popped as she balled up a fist.

"B-E-A-S-T…"

She reeled back her arm as BeastBoy turned towards her.

"…B-O-Y!"

Her arm followed through in full swing.

**CLANG! **

"Yyyeeeaaghh!"

Raven fell over, spilling onto the floor with a thud. She opened her eyes staring up at the ceiling in a daze, a throbbing pain stinging in her hand. Sitting up, she shook her hand, trying to shake off the fleeting soreness in her fingers as she got her wits about her.

"Argh," she grunted as she examined the red swollen marks on the tops of her fingers and knuckles.

Raven looked up, expecting to at least see BeastBoy huddling in fear if not nursing the savage blow she'd just dealt him.

But he was nowhere to be seen.

Raven scanned the hallway, still just outside of BeastBoy's room. But it was vacant. The young changeling wasn't in sight. It was just her. And a small fist shaped indentation in the wall.

Puzzled, she got to her feet, still rubbing her hand. It didn't make any sense.

"How did…?" she muttered to herself, "Didn't I …?"

Looking upwards a sudden thought crossed her mind. She darted over to the door, quickly opening it and leaning inside to observe.

There BeastBoy lay just as she'd left him. Sunken into his mattress, sprawled out, pillow to the side of his face, one foot hanging off the bed on the floor and in a deep sleep. It was clear by the sight of him he hadn't budged an inch.

Raven leaned back out into the hall, looking back at her fist imprint in the wall. She dreamed the whole thing?

She held her head briefly, trying to figure at what point she'd nodded off. Most likely just after BeastBoy had gone into his room while leaning against the wall. Expending less energy to stand must've given her the brief lapse to send her into a light sleep while still on her feet.

But it all seemed so real. Well, real in some respects. After all who would believe BeastBoy could approach Raven so casually, only to kiss her, without scrambling to a bomb shelter immediately afterwards? Or the idea that Raven would get so caught up in a moment of passion that she wouldn't…

Raven vigorously shook her head before she could finish that thought before casting a dull look of resentment his way. It was easy to attribute it to having been in deep telepathic contact with BeastBoy's subconscious.

So she did.

Raven gave a short sigh. Perhaps this evolving relationship of theirs was evolving more than she thought. But she quickly shook off that lingering notion.

It was just one dream. One, tired, exhaustion driven, emotionally based, residual dream. Whether or not there was any merit to that theory was not an assumption to be made in her present state. She was tired, she was dazed, and she was a trifle bit irritable at the moment. Conclusion jumping one-way or the other wouldn't improve her disposition.

She turned her back to the room, still standing in the doorway. Raven took one step outside but stopped, briefly looking over shoulder at BeastBoy.

His face was a tranquil one. A sight of relief compared to the contorted and twisted expression of fear and agony that earlier seized up his mind.

Raven quietly crept over to BeastBoy's bedside. She stood over him, her shadow covering his form as he slept peacefully, seemingly unaware.

With a wave of her hand a black aura enveloped his stray foot hanging off the bed, gently lifting up and setting it back down onto the mattress. Two more bubbles of black energy expanded around his feet, slipping off his shoes. A small soothing smile curled itself on BeastBoy's mouth as the cool air circulated along his feet.

Raven then took hold of the bedspread previously ripped back at the foot of the bed and softly laid it over BeastBoy's waist.

His breathing remained in constant rhythm. His face a serene canvas to his inner thoughts. He never stirred even once. He was fast asleep.

It was then that she was struck by the sudden realization that this was the second time she'd found herself watching BeastBoy sleep.

What would he have thought if he were to wake up? Right now, right this moment, with Raven standing over him.

That she was angry? That she was 'creepy'? That he was in trouble? Or that he was safe. That all those terrible things in his mind were just that. In his mind.

Raven looked around the dark room, dimly lit only by the light of the corridor through the doorway, verifying they were alone.

She bent down, taking one last close study of BeastBoy's calm face. "If you breath a word of this to anyone," she whispered firmly, "I'll deny it."

She started to lean down, but quickly pulled back in an instant of reluctance. She swiftly leaned back down again, this time swooping down all the way to give BeastBoy the tiniest peck on the cheek. As if a quiet way of saying she was glad he was all right and he'd restored harmony inside himself.

Raven swiftly and silently left BeastBoy's room, closing the door behind her. Once outside in the hallway she leaned her head against the door, briefly taking to a moment to digest her thoughts. She closed her eyes, taking a deep cleansing breath.

But she didn't linger long. She started back towards her quarters after a minute or two. It was still late and she was still tired. And the last thing she wanted was to doze off in the hall again and run the risk of being caught up in another dream.

She rounded the hallway into the main corridor, letting out a small yawn along the way.

Raven still couldn't get over how vivid that fleeting daydream was. She could scarcely believe it had just been a dream. She swore she could smell the subtle ever-present aroma of tofu on his breath. Everything from the feeling of BeastBoy's hands on her face right down to warm touch of his…

Raven stopped dead in her tracks before she could finish that thought.

If something like that slipped into her mind on the fly while partially awake, what would happen when she was fully settled in back in bed?

She started down the adjacent hallway back towards the kitchen.

"Maybe I 'could' use a second cup of tea," she murmured to herself as she shook off the blush creeping across her cheeks.

**Next Chapter:** Amidst the daily humdrum lives of the Titans up until now, the days between Raven and BeastBoy have been relatively calm. But when duty calls will the bond between the two reach its breaking point as a familiar foe drops in to stir up trouble?


	17. All In

**Quality Time**

**Chapter 17: All In**

A fresh new day in its early hours was the setting amidst the kitchen and dining area of Titans Tower. A day not so different from so many others that had preceded it. Robin sat slightly slumped at the table sipping a glass of orange juice as he scratched his chin with the back end of a ballpoint pen, sharpening his keen mind on the daily crossword puzzle in the morning paper. Starfire happily hummed in a particularly chipper tone, sporting an apron by the stove as she patiently waited for the perfect moment to flip the first of several gobs of batter sizzling in a skillet on the burner. Curiously she would occasionally lift the edges just enough with a spatula to ensure they had cooked enough to make them stable enough to flip.

Starfire had always found a second calling in the kitchen and was always ecstatic when it was her turn to cook. And while her dishes were occasionally somewhat… contrived in terms of flavor for a pallet to those of earthly origin there was no denying the amount of skill and passion she put into every morsel of mixed cuisine she was bound to turn out. But like every good chef Starfire was not so easily discouraged despite her infrequent culinary indiscretions of Earth and Tamaranian ingredients.

"The savory cakes born of pan shall be ready momentarily," she called cheerfully to her friends at the table.

Robin looked up with a nod and a smile.

He looked back down at his crossword puzzle having made significant progress but still a few columns remained blank. "Hmmm," he narrowed his eyes, "Number twenty-two across." He pondered on the clue given for a moment. "Hey, Cyborg, any thoughts on a six letter word, means 'to be condemned'."

"Doomed."

"Oh, yeah," he said enlightened, seeming obvious, "Thanks." He looked to his side. "Uh…Cyborg?"

Cyborg sat quietly beside Robin at the table, passively almost blankly stirring a mug of coffee. He stared straight ahead, zoned out in deep inner thought.

It seemed unfathomable. Incomprehensible. Outright impossible. But here he was. For today was not just any other day. It was THE day. The ONLY day left.

As hard as it might have been to believe his month long wager with BeastBoy and Raven was drawing to a close. The terms were simple. From sunrise to sunset, beginning to end of each day encompassing one month the two of them would be in close proximity to one another, not leaving the others side. A feat seemingly impossible given their opposing nature and sometimes conflicting personalities. Raven, the quiet, solitary intellectual. BeastBoy the spontaneous, untamed joker. Oil and water.

The stakes? Cyborg's only ante in this was the spectacle sure to follow. Certainly a few laughs to be had and a more dynamic life to lead around the tower. But should the two of them succeed, Raven would claim a special pair of custom-made sound filtering earpieces. And as for BeastBoy?

Cyborg's human eye gave a slight twitch. Loosing one of his techno toys he could easily get over. Re-designing and re-building to improve his tech was practically a hobby for him. But this…

He'd clean BeastBoy's room. Perhaps 'clean' was an understatement. Sanitize was more appropriate. In boiling bleach. After it had been set on fire maybe.

It was no secret BeastBoy's room was somewhat of a sty. But attempting the task of cleaning and restoring some degree of hygienic standard was an immense undertaking. It was like being assigned to scrub a decomposing trash dump. You have a rough idea what you're getting into, but you'd rather not go near it if you didn't have to.

Which brings us to today. Hours had turned into days, days became weeks. And now the end was upon us. It started off as rocky as he might've hoped. Nerves undermined, routines disrupted, and even the occasional momentary slip of sanity here and there. But throughout this entire ordeal the two of them exercised the one thing he never thought would come to bear in this circumstance. Patience.

Sure he liked his friends to get along. But not this well when these kinds of stakes were involved. Why couldn't they have gotten along so great next month? It almost seemed like they were against him. Like they were able to put aside their squabbling with one another just to spite him. They were in cahoots on this. Yeah, that had to be it. They were sitting on all those hostile vibes that normally just gushed out of them when they shared the same space, and as soon as his back was turned, Oh they were just pickin' their spot to put one over on him. Just waitin' to…

"Cyborg?"

Cyborg shook his head, turning to Robin and snapping back to the real world back at the table.

"Cy, are you okay?" Robin asked somewhat concerned.

"Uh… okay? Yeah. Sure. Sure, I'm okay. Why wouldn't I be okay?" he forced a grin.

"Um, cause you're stirring your coffee with a strip of bacon."

Cyborg looked down. Sure enough in his disoriented state he'd been stirring his coffee with a strip of bacon. He lifted it out of the mug watching as the once sizzling strip of pork soggily dripped into his mug.

He merely shrugged, biting into the bacon with a ferocious chomp. "Mmmm," he gulped in approval, "Ain't any wrong way to eat bacon."

Robin just smirked and went back to his puzzle. "A little anxious?"

"What makes ya say that?" he dunked the bacon back into his coffee with a forced laugh. "I just happened to invent a new breakfast combo. Now my bacon tastes like coffee and my coffee tastes like bacon."

"I believe Robin is referring to your most sociable wager amongst friends BeastBoy and Raven." Starfire said as she flipped her pancakes. "Today is the last and final day, is it not?"

"No," he said coyly, "It's not the last 'day'." He scoped a digital readout on the underside of his forearm. "It's the last seventeen hours, forty one minutes and… seven seconds. But who's countin'?"

"There'll be other bets, Cy," Robin gave a sympathetic pat on the back. "And besides, ya never know. Something could still happen."

Cyborg looked up for an instant. "Yeah," he agreed, "YEAH, You're right! It ain't over till it's over. Last couple weeks could finally get to'em at the last minute. Even Rae can't sit on THAT much BeastBoy on tap for this long. And BB can't filter himself to her comfort zone forever."

He looked around the kitchen noticing the both of them were still not present. "Why I bet they're havin' some sorta ground zero moment right now and are makin' for both sides of the city limits right…"

The main room doors swished open. All heads turned. Well, Robin and Starfire's heads turned. Cyborg's fell. BeastBoy and Raven casually entered the kitchen area taking up seats side by side opposite of Robin and Cyborg.

"Nevermind," he sighed to himself.

Cyborg looked across the table at both of them. Raven quietly sitting with her hands folded, BeastBoy with a handheld game. His eyes were narrowed at the device with his tongue sticking out to the side, no doubt in the deepest immersion with the game, harboring his total concentration.

"So where have you two been?" Robin asked politely, uncharacteristically sound for Raven to show up this late to breakfast and for BeastBoy to arrive this early. "Just wake up?"

"The roof," Raven answered, "Early morning meditation. Not as necessary as my routine dictates but given the circumstances of today I didn't want to leave anything to chance." She gave the slightest glance in Cyborg's direction. As if to remind him without directly reminding him.

"Part of the deal," BeastBoy added not looking up from his game.

Robin gave a curious look.

"Yes. In exchange for waking up like a sensible person in the actual morning hours and sharing his presence so that I can meditate while still honoring the bet, I in turn agreed to stick it out on the couch for an hour of his video games."

"To play, not just watch," BeastBoy looked away just quick enough to point a finger at her as if to put the exclamation point on the precise stipulation of the deal.

"To participate, yes." Raven nodded.

BeastBoy smiled to himself.

Robin was impressed. He had a few lingering concerns about this wager of theirs at the beginning, fearing they'd more than likely destroy one another. Not in a literal sense, but in terms of dismantling their friendship and everything that'd taken them so long to build towards getting along as well as they had. But it seemed to be having a rather positive influence on the both of them. They were downright civil and in the early hours of the morning no less when BeastBoy was hardly ever present and Raven was typically a faded grumble until her morning tea.

Robin smiled.

Starfire smiled.

Cyborg remained a blank stare with the exception of a questionable eyebrow raised. He was happy two of his friends and teammates had strengthened their bond and had developed such a peaceful coexistence with each other. BUT WHY NOW OF ALL TIMES?

He was quick to mentally regroup. It was obvious hoping for this arrangement to go south was a lost cause. Action had to be taken. His livelihood was on the line. Not to mention the decaying funk he'd be scrubbing out of his parts for weeks if he were expected to live up to his end of the deal. But of course these were still his friends he was sparking devious notions about. He didn't want to drive a rift between them but just enough friction to pull them apart long enough gain the upper hand in the bet.

Cyborg rose from his seat making his way over to the kitchen counter towards the coffee pot for a refill. "Well ain't you two gettin' comfortable," he smirked in teasingly sweet tone. "Makes me wonder where this is all gonna' go from here."

He paused looking over his shoulder as Raven causally sipped a cup of her morning tea that had been waiting for her on the table and BeastBoy remained glued to his game.

"Rae, any second thoughts on my suggestion to add a 'guest' room?"

Raven's eyes opened casually in a menacingly neutral fashion just as BeastBoy's videogame emitted an audible beep signaling he'd paused. Both their heads turned slowly towards Cyborg. BeastBoy flared his nostrils in his friend's direction but otherwise there was not a sound.

Robin and Starfire watched with curiosity. This was new. Normally BeastBoy would be firing back comebacks and general carnivore slander while Raven would go Poltergeist on the room in general making any object that wasn't nailed down her own personal annoyance seeking missile. But they were completely calm. Quiet. Dangerously quiet.

Raven and BeastBoy turned their attention from Cyborg to each other, meeting eyes yielding equally vacant expressions.

"Is it my turn or yours?" Raven asked quietly.

"Mine," BeastBoy stood from the table, "Hold this." He handed her his handheld game which she accepted as he walked to the cupboard on the opposite side of the kitchen.

"Less of course you'd rather move right in with BB," Cyborg continued as he poured his coffee unaware, "I mean he does already have bedding arrangements for two."

BeastBoy pulled a small box from the cupboard.

Raven took another sip of tea as both Robin and Star continued to observe, unsure of what the proper course of action was in this situation. Yet compelled to remain silent.

"Of course the whole 'living in a junk induced biohazard' could be a low point," Cyborg scratched his head as if trying to ponder if the arrangement was even plausible.

BeastBoy walked up behind Cyborg, opening a small compartment on his lower back. From there he poured the entire contents of the box into the open slot. Once verified that the container was empty with one final shake he closed the compartment with a low 'clunk' sound.

"Hmm?" Cyborg turned around just in time to see BeastBoy discarding a box over his shoulder, dusting off his hands.

He watched as BeastBoy sat back down and Raven handed him back his game.

Cyborg shrugged taking a sip of his freshly poured brew, walking back towards the table.

"Wait for it," BeastBoy mused, un-pausing his game.

**POP! **_**CLANG!**_

"Huh?" Cyborg came to a halt at the sound of what sounded like a ball bearing striking a piece of chrome.

**POP! **_**CLANG!**_

Cyborg spun around at the repeated sound trying to determine where it was coming from.

**POP-POP! **_**CLANG!**_** POP! **_**CLANG-CLANG!**_

"Hey!" he shouted "Hey, what gives!"

Rapid popping and clanging sounds continued to erupt inside of Cyborg's metal frame like a ricocheting machine gun. From the underside of his right shoulder a tiny white projectile escaped through a small gap in his outer assembly, landing in the middle of the kitchen table.

Robin picked up the small pellet, gently squeezing it to verify what his eyes identified as…

"Popcorn?"

It seemed that the box BeastBoy had poured inside of Cyborg had indeed been a box of popcorn kernels. And the heat put off by his inner working cybernetic components was igniting them.

Cyborg began to flail his limbs wildly, his arms swinging and swaying, his legs bending and bounding as hundreds of popped kernels bounced off his inner circuitry. "Hey-ey-ey-ey!" he bellowed. "This stuff is seriously messin' with my motor controls!"

He continued to strut and swing and flail his limbs every which way in a sort of sporadic rhythm.

Starfire clapped in delight. "Oh most joyous!" she cheered, discarding her apron. She whizzed into the main room snatching up a portable stereo, placing it on the kitchen counter. "I have heard much of this ancient time earth dance." Starfire pressed a button atop the player before flying beside Cyborg, mimicking his movements as the stereo played 'Walk Like An Egyptian'.

Robin, BeastBoy, and even Raven could not help but be amused as Star synced her movements to Cyborg's with such uncanny rhythm.

"C'mon guys!" Cyborg pleaded in between huffs, "I get it! Ain't this enough for you?"

"Not quite. But you're getting there," Raven said casually as she reclined slightly into her seat.

BeastBoy attempted but ultimately failed to stifle a small laugh.

Suddenly Cyborg shot up straight as a low rumbling inside him started to make him wobble. More and more the vibrations continued to build inside of him until…

**BLOOF!**

A small eruption of popcorn came pouring out of a sprung compartment on his lower rear quarters. Followed by one or two late kernels finally popping as Cyborg took a deep breath collapsing atop a small soft mountain of popcorn. He exhaled in relief before shooting a frown at the occupants of the table. "Good enough for ya?"

Raven crooked her head slightly. "No."

Suddenly a small saltshaker and a stick of butter encased in dark energy floated overhead. The shaker turned upside down seasoning the popcorn as the energy bubble encasing the butter compressed it into a fine liquid that also served to flavor the mounds of white puffs below.

A handful of popcorn became engulfed in similar energy lifting off the ground drawn to Raven's outstretched hand. She popped a few bites into her mouth then offering to share with BeastBoy who happily munched a few bites.

"But close enough," she finished turning back to the table and her tea.

Cyborg just sat there crestfallen with a few salt particles scattered on his head and a smear of butter residue on his cheek.

"Wonder if he can make nachos too?" BB queried beside Raven already resuming his game and paying Cyborg no further mind.

Cyborg hung his head with a sigh, acknowledging overwhelming defeat.

A few moments later, broom in hand, BeastBoy swept up the last remaining bits of popcorn off the floor into a dustpan. No sooner had the last kernel been brushed into the pan a field of black energy lifted the dustpan into the air, floating towards the trash bin.

Starfire stepped on the foot pedal at the base of the trash container, opening the lid allowing the popcorn to be dumped inside.

Raven gave a small nod setting the dustpan back into a storage closet.

Beastboy walked over also returning the broom to storage. "Well, that oughta' do it," he said wiping his brow. "Might be a little tight on snacks come movie night though."

"Waste not, want not," Raven replied casually.

"Aw, don't even!" Cyborg said with a grunt, feeding a scrubbing brush into a maintenance compartment to the side of his torso. "You got any idea how long it's gonna' take me to get the smell of burnt popcorn outta' my circuits?" He gave a sigh, giving up as he closed the compartment deeming it a chore to be better suited for the garage.

He slumped down resting his chin on the kitchen table. If Cyborg hadn't been down before he most certainly was now.

"Try to cheer up Cy," Robin made a meager effort to recover his friend's spirits. "Could've been worse."

A hefty plate of food plopped down in front of Cyborg.

"Perhaps devouring large quantities of Earth breakfast will dispatch your sorrow," Starfire beamed with optimistic pride.

Cyborg and Robin exchanged looks. "It's worse."

BeastBoy and Raven retook their places at the table as Starfire placed down similar plates in front of them. Large golden brown discs, assumedly pancakes stacked high on top of each other occupied each plate, a wasp of steam rising from the top, still warm from the pan.

"Um, thanks Star," BeastBoy said with a faint smile.

"Looks positively… brown," Robin attempted to compliment her as a plate was placed down in front of him as well.

There was a brief stillness at the table as Starfire walked back to the stove to prepare her own plate.

The Titans began to rigorously inspect their breakfast. They sort of looked like pancakes. They vaguely smelled like pancakes. But there was still doubt as to how Starfire had put her own distinctive Tamaranean flare on today's breakfast item. Even when following closely most recipes not of her home planet she had this habit of 'tweaking' the flavor ever so slightly to better fit her own palette and to present bold otherworldly tastes to her friends.

The fact that they looked perfectly normal was what made them most uncertain. Certainly Starfire had no distaste for human food. But when preparing it she always felt a desire to improve it in some way. And there was no shortage of possibilities. An ingredient of alien origin? A cultivated spore or fungus?

Cyborg jammed his fork into the top of one of the pancakes in question. It penetrated quite easily showing that it was quite soft and moist. "Passed the first test," he said with a glimmer of caution, "Didn't squirm or make any noise."

Robin held a whole pancake above his plate peering closely. Most noticeably baked into the surface of the pancakes were numerous deep red blotches. "Strawberries maybe?" he guessed with hopefulness.

"Dude, never known strawberries to turn into a bloody pulpy mess when ya cook'em," BeastBoy squinted at his plate.

"Not helpin', man," Cyborg continued to prod the food lightly with his fork.

Raven too looked down in quiet hesitation at her plate. She turned to BeastBoy.

He forced a smile as best he good. "Uh… ladies first." He gestured towards her the self deemed privilege of the first bite.

Raven took firm hold of the fork, jamming it into a whole pancake. She hoisted it off the plate just as she grabbed BeastBoy by the nose, lifting him by the nostrils and causing his mouth to open. Raven crammed the entire pancake into his mouth before prying her fork loose, releasing his nose to let his mouth snap shut with his cheeks full.

Robin and Cyborg stared in anticipation, concerned to be certain but more curious as to what reaction the food would yield on BeastBoy.

A few seconds passed as he began to chew.

Thus far no obvious sign of discomfort.

BeastBoy continued to chew slowly but steadily, his eyes shifting between bites. His taste buds on high alert as if waiting for that one particular taste that would push him over the edge.

Again there was no sign of any particular side effect. BeastBoy appeared to be fine and hadn't burst into hives or changed color or any such other alien side effect prevalent in Star's other dishes. Unless of course he was turning another shade of green and no one noticed.

BeastBoy closed his eyes briefly sinking his head between his shoulders before lifting back up again as pushed the food down his throat with an audible gulp.

Raven, Cyborg, and Robin leaned in a bit closer.

BeastBoy opened his eyes slowly, smacking his lips a few times as he monitored his taste buds for abnormalities.

"BeastBoy?" Robin asked warily.

He gave a brief pause looking up at the ceiling as if waiting for a grace period after swallowing.

His eyes went wide as a pleasantly surprised expression painted itself on his face. "Mmmm," he approved. He shoveled another pancake from his plate and downed it as he had the former.

Cyborg looked to Robin still somewhat doubtful. "What do ya think?"

Robin cut up a small slice of a pancake from his own plate lifting it to eye level. He took a bite. He chewed slowly but then quickly swallowed. "It tastes… normal."

Raven followed his example taking a more casual bite for herself. She waited a moment after swallowing at an equal pace Beastboy had. Her taste buds rendered the same verdict. "It's surprisingly… non-spit-up able".

Finally Cyborg took a bite to share his own experience. "Ya know it ain't half bad."

In only a few more bites all dread and skepticism was forgotten. The group continued to eat collectively at a less threatened pace.

"What do ya think she put in'em?" BeastBoy asked between bites.

"More like what'd she leave out?" Raven rephrased.

"Hard to believe this is from the same girl who made food a five letter word," Cyborg said with hardly a care.

Starfire returned to her place at the table with a hefty stack of pancakes of her own. "The customary morning jacks are flapped to your liking?" she inquired sweetly.

"Got that right," Cyborg answered swiftly as went for the syrup to fully saturate his next bite.

"Wicked good stuff, Star," BeastBoy said. "Has this really sweet after taste to it, but… I can't put my finger on it."

"I picked up that as well," Raven seconded BeastBoy's critique.

"Fess up Star. What's your secret?" Cyborg added as he swabbed his plate clean.

"Oh, no secrets friends. The batter is most common of the store of groceries. I merely added a little something special while cooking to heighten the flavor." Starfire explained with a warm smile.

"I guessed there had to be something to it from the red blotches cooked into the top," Robin commented. "Cherries?"

"Raspberries?" BeastBoy wagered a guess.

"Zorkaberries." She answered.

All forks froze in their hands while in transit to their mouths, save for Starfire who continued to eat regardless.

"Those alien juju fruits that turned Silkie into a ginormous mega sized super moth?" BeastBoy asked.

The other Titans looked questionably at their plates once more.

"Yes, but fear not. Zorkaberries are quite harmless to the earthly digestive system. Of this I am certain." Starfire explained calmly.

"You sure, Star?" Cyborg asked with a hint of doubt but not trying to sound distrustful. "I mean, I'm not doubtin' you personally but your food ain't exactly known for always…"

"Agreeing with us?" Raven finished in an equally sympathetic manner.

"In or out of our stomachs," BeastBoy added sensitively, but still yielding a light jab from Raven to his side.

"Your concern is understandable, but I promise the berries will ail you not," she affirmed with an earnest look of sincerity in her eyes. "Though past instances of Tamaranean sustenance have proven quite fickle I remain certain that the zorkaberries will be of no consequence. I have even refined them with copious amounts of the white powder of sweetness to make them more palatable."

The Titans shared a look at each other as if mentally agreeing. Starfire's delicacies were at times a sour note on their taste buds, but she had never, nor would ever intentionally serve them something harmful in any manner.

"Just checkin'," Cyborg smiled.

"Yeah. If ya can't trust something with a lotta' sugar what can ya trust?" BeastBoy returned to eating.

Raven lightly shook her head. "Will there ever come a day when you're sick of sugar?"

BeastBoy looked at her whimsically. "Laid up in bed sick or emergency room sick?"

Starfire just smiled warmly as she began to eat along with her friends.

Suddenly bright red lights began flashing, flooding every room of the tower in deep crimson light overhead to the sound of thunderous buzzing. The Titan's warning alarm was sounding indicating trouble somewhere in the city.

Startled at first from lack of any activity the Titans quickly responded, springing from their seats.

"Trouble!" Robin shouted racing to the monitoring station. The others following close behind.

"Was startin' to wonder where all the bad guys had gone," Cyborg said casually to the lack of activity. It was a rare occurrence for the city to go without incident for so long. There always seemed to be no shortage of up-and-coming criminals and villains determined to prove their status as a true super villain either to the Titans, the underworld, or both.

"I was thinkin' we were gonna' have to start labeling the back of milk cartons," BeastBoy responded. "Where'd they get to?"

"Doesn't matter. Whoever they are, they're back and up to no good," Robin stated. A grid of the city was brought up onto the main view screen. A large section of the downtown district was highlighted. "And it looks like they're making up for lost time."

"Who is it?" Starfire asked peering over Robin's shoulder.

The screen flashed bringing up footage from a nearby traffic cam.

Raven raised an eyebrow in annoying disbelief. "You've gotta' be kidding me."

Downtown the streets of Jump City were rampant with the screams of panicked citizens scrambling in every direction, as if trying to put distance between the chaos breaking loose. Cars came to an abrupt halt, their passengers abandoning their vehicles and retreating back the way they'd come on foot.

Debris lay scattered in the street, nearby windows broken in with glass fragments below.

At the center of all this commotion stood a single individual calmly surveying the scene before him. Adjusting the position of his black top hat, straightening the collar of his matching black suit, a proud smile beamed from his blue complexion. "Tough crowd," he scoffed to himself. "But, the show must go."

Clapping his hands together then pulling them apart a slim magic wand materialized from nowhere between his palms. With a flick and twirl he cast the wand forward. "Mumbo Jumbo!" he exclaimed.

A nearby banking machine gave a sudden twitch then began to inflate at its base before it burst a steady stream of bills into the air, wafting to the ground.

"And they say working a street corner is no respectable place for a performer," he grinned at the heaping wads of cash on the ground, ripe for the taking. "And now may I have a volunteer from the audience?"

Mumbo turned to face a window display of a gentleman's clothing shop. Three blank faced manikins stood in plain view, each dressed in a finely tailored suit. "Yes! You sir," he pointed.

With another wave of Mumbo's wand the manikin in the center sprung to life. After a brief stretch of it's now flexible plastic limbs it burst through the window showering glass fragments to the ground around him. Casually walking forward and then stopping just short of the magician who'd summoned him to life.

With a flick of the wrist he whisked a large sack out of thin air in his hand, handing it to his volunteer. "If you'd be so kind," he gestured to the large heaps of money on the ground.

The manikin began scooping up handful after handful of currency into the sack.

"Moving right along," he straightened his bow tie. He turned to a pet store across the street. From the main display window was a large viewing area of several rabbits at play. "A little something for our younger viewers." He threw back his cape taking aim with the wand. "Mumbo Change-O!"

Inside the viewing area the three rabbits quadrupled in size, sprouting long legs and massive forearms, hunched over in posture resembling Neanderthal bunnies. Their eyes curved as their noses grew pointy resembling Mumbo's facial features.

With a mighty swing one rabbit punched through the Plexiglas display, causing the whole casing to topple over onto the sidewalk. The three behemoth rabbits bounded from the store, merrily hopping to Mumbo's side.

"Onto the next act," he pointed to a nearby jewelry store.

The henchbunnies leaped and skipped towards their assigned target. They dove head first through the window, setting off an alarm mounted on the wall.

"Please, no distractions while the performer is on stage." Mumbo gave another wave of his wand, instantly turning the blaring alarm into a tiny alarm clock that fell to the ground, breaking apart on impact.

Inside the jewelry store the rabbits tore open display cases, chomping off thick locks and outright prying open the thick metal sliding cabinets behind them. They scooped up as many diamonds and expensive looking trinkets as they could carry. Watches and necklaces draped over their arms and hands full of rings and precious stones.

Just then a bushel of carrots lowered into view of the broken window, levitating inside a field of black energy.

The bunny's noses began twitching, their heads perking up. Even under magic, their animal instincts were still very much intact amidst Mumbo's spell.

The rabbits turned catching sight of the carrots as if in a trance, dropping their loot to the floor as they slowly hopped towards the tantalizing aroma. The carrots floated backwards leading them away from the store and out into the center of the street.

From the end of the street Starfire swooped down, BeastBoy beside her in the form of Pterodactyl, the two of them seizing a firm grip on the opposing sides of a chain link fence. With hardly an effort between the two they gave a yank uprooting the fence from the ground and continuing to charge forward, the fence outstretched like a wide net towards the still preoccupied rabbits.

They flew straight forward ensnaring the group of hench-bunnies in the fence, circling around them tightly, corralling them in the wrapped metal barrier.

At that same moment a bird-a-rang whizzed through the air severing the manikin's loot bag, causing the sack to rip and tear as the once gathered cash spilled back onto the ground.

The manikin looked up just as a burst of bright blue energy collided with his head, dislodging his thick plastic cranium from between his shoulders to bounce onto the pavement. The manikin's arms reached aimlessly where his head once sat finding only an empty space before his body became lifeless once more and fell over onto the pile of money he'd been gathering.

Alarmed by the sudden commotion Mumbo turned. He looked up to the rooftop across the street where Robin and Cyborg stood, Robin pulling another projectile from his belt at the ready, Cyborg blowing a gust of smoke from his sonic cannon.

"Hmmph!" Mumbo folded his arms with a scoff. "Every time I branch into a new venue, I always get hecklers."

"Show's just gettin' started, blue boy," Cyborg remarked.

"And you've got a command performance. For ten to fifteen years." Robin added.

"Sorry, I don't do private parties," Mumbo shrugged with a smile. "Besides I'm booked solid through New Years. You'll have to get in touch with my agent." Mumbo turned just in time to duck from the path of a hurled tomato that hit the ground with a splat. He looked back to find the rest of his audience.

BeastBoy sat perched atop a produce stand lightly tossing and catching another tomato in the air, Starfire and Raven hovering beside him. "And that's just the reviews from your first act," he grinned.

Mumbo frowned as he straightened his hat before smiling once more. "You'll excuse me if I don't take to heart pedestrian criticism from rank amateurs at children's parties who throw toma-WHOA!"

Mumbo ducked another hurled tomato.

"Fine! Stage is getting crowded anyway and if it's one thing I don't do it's share the spotlight." He dusted off his coat as he removed his top hat. Reaching into his hat he pulled a small cup before returning the hat to his head. He tossed the cup into the air directly above him. Once above him the cup magically expanded to enormous size. "Mumbo-Switch-O!"

The cup landed upside down covering Mumbo from view inside the large cup. From the single cup sprang two more, one at either side. They then began to shift position; sliding and shuffling round and round. Faster and faster they mixed between each other.

The Titans tried to keep sight of the center cup, which Mumbo had been under, but the cups were switching positions so quickly it became difficult to keep track. BeastBoy's eyes felt like they were spinning inside his own head.

Suddenly the cups came to a stop. They then began dashing forward picking up speed as they broke off into separate directions down a three-way intersection. One cup hung a left down the main street, another bearing right towards the next city district, and the third continuing straight ahead towards midtown.

Mumbo was many things but careless wasn't one of them. Past experiences had taught him well the odds of taking all five Titans single handedly were not in his favor.

"Titans, GO!" Robin exclaimed as he leaped from the roof firing his grapple launcher latching onto an adjacent building swinging after the cup that had proceeded down the center path. "Split up."

Cyborg hit the ground running, but not long as Starfire scooped him up by the shoulders taking to the air to pursue the cup that had fled to the left. That only left Raven soaring above street level to chase down the last cup's remaining escape route to the right with BeastBoy following on foot in cheetah form.

A few moments later Raven touched down on the street below as BeastBoy met up with her shifting back into human form catching his breath. She scanned the vacant streets surrounding her. No doubt word had already spread of Mumbo's crime spree and people were already off the streets. Just as well as it was one less detour to bringing down the bad guy.

"So where'd 'hocus-jokus' get to?" BeastBoy asked as he looked for any sign of a trail to follow.

"Not sure," she replied. Raven moved forward slowly, alert for any sign of Mumbo's presence. No obvious signs of Mumbo having passed through were apparent. It would've appeared they were following a cold trail. If not for the stirring feeling in her gut. "But he's close."

"Are ya sure?" he asked.

A thick metal ring flung towards BeastBoy striking his wrist sending him reeling against a building, anchoring itself into the wall with BeastBoy's arm stuck inside. "Whuh!" he yelled caught off guard.

Raven looked from BeastBoy to the direction it'd come from finding Mumbo casually reclined on top of the marquee of a local theater. He twirled three more magic linking rings around his finger.

"Are you convinced now?" she dryly called to BeastBoy, not taking her eyes off the magician.

BeastBoy struggled to pull the ring loose. "Sorta," he grunted.

Raven took to the air at eye level with Mumbo. "I thought you didn't do private parties," she put up her guard.

"Professional courtesy," he tipped his hat, "One magic user to another."

"Magic, yes." Raven threw out her hands, levitating several manhole covers up from the streets to her side, "Parlor tricks, no." She pushed her palms forward causing the covers to fly at Mumbo at high speed.

Mumbo leaped from the marquee just as the thick metal discs dug into wall where he'd been nestled. As he fell to the ground he pulled a long lasso of multi colored handkerchiefs from his sleeve. With a quick twirl he threw the lasso ensnaring Raven's leg with a firm downward yank, plucking her from the air and into the pavement below.

"Argh!" Raven shouted as she hit the ground.

BeastBoy morphed into a gorilla swinging his arm with a mighty heave, breaking the ring that held him in place in several pieces. He bounded towards Mumbo just as he touched down onto the street, shifting form to a lion.

Mumbo grinned. "Now there's something fresh for the act." Mumbo retrieved a whip from his hat, cracking it into the air as he pulled a small chair from behind his cape that he held out in front of him to keep the green animal at bay.

BeastBoy stopped just short of Mumbo as he prodded and poked the chair towards him. To which BeastBoy cut a thunderous roar.

"Back! Back I say!" he dramatically shouted cracking the whip repeatedly. "What do ya think? Too much?" he glanced in Raven's direction who was still steadying herself from the fall as if fishing for comments.

**CHOMP!**

Mumbo looked back as BeastBoy bit into the chair with his sharp teeth, tearing the wooden legs from its base and chewing them into paste as if it were nothing more than bubblegum to his ferocious jaws.

Mumbo gave an audible gulp as he dropped the remains of the chair. "I think we should hold off on the 'putting my head in your mouth' bit. Crowd might be squeamish. Not to mention me." Mumbo reeled back the whip cracking the air once more in BeastBoy's direction. But the lion snapped its strong grip on the end of the whip in its mouth before he could retract it.

Mumbo wrestled and pulled furiously to pull the whip free. But the lion merely gave an un-amused glare as it swung his neck back to send Mumbo hurdling through the air and tumbling to the ground.

The magician was laid out on the ground flat on his back with his cape draped over his head. He shook his head with a small groan, unable to see.

Suddenly a low growl caught his ear. Cautiously Mumbo lifted his cape from over his eyes looking up at the green lion standing ominously over him and the hostile snarl on his face. "Not bad, kid. Ya got potential but you come up just short on the execution."

The lion reared back, springing off the ground about to pounce on its prey.

"Eh-heh," he coyly laughed, "Poor choice of words." Mumbo quickly rolled to his side, brushing back his cape to reveal his top hat in hand. Into the hat BeastBoy fell, magically sucked inside without the hat altering its shape or size as the large feline disappeared inside.

"See, in this line of work it really is style over substance," Mumbo smirked triumphantly.

"BeastBoy!" Raven called, now on her feet and advancing towards his captor. A nearby lamppost glowed black before rising from the street, the concrete once holding it in place crumbling free. With a swish of her arms the post acted as a telekinetic club striking hard against the ground.

_SMASH!_

"Ya know…" Mumbo began sidestepping the attack.

_BASH!_

"…You should really give some thought…" he leaped backwards avoiding another strike.

_CRASH!_

"…To putting this whole hero profession…" he narrowly dodged another swipe.

_POUND!_

"…Behind you."

Raven pulled her hands back before thrusting them forwards sending the lamppost flying at Mumbo like a javelin.

Mumbo ducked as the pole soared past him driving itself into a wall.

"A magician's life is so much more fulfilling. No collateral damage, no violent tendencies," he gestured to the surroundings of their battleground. "Whaddya say? I could use an assistant of your caliber. You and me, we can go places." Mumbo offered with a taunting smile.

Raven silently stared him down not bothering to reply.

Mumbo's shoulders sank, hanging his head. "So that's the way its gonna' be, eh? Well, guess there's only one way to settle this."

Mumbo pulled his cape around him, quickly throwing it back out to reveal a slight change in attire. Stirrups on the heels of his now black boots, leather chaps over his pants, a red vest over his coat with a small silver star pinned to the side. A holster attached to a black belt hanging low to his side with a magic wand in place of a six-shooter. He pressed down against his top hat just before it sprung back up as a ten-gallon hat. "Let's see who's quicker on the wand," he spat to the side in cowboy fashion.

Raven narrowed her eyes as if visually accepting the duel.

Mumbo narrowed his right back. He let one hand fall low to his side, flexing his fingers eager to draw.

Raven clenched her fist, black energy crackling from her knuckles. She didn't need a weapon. Only the will to close the curtain on this second rate illusionist.

A newspaper blew across the street like tumbleweed.

Mumbo spread his fingers wide.

"DRAW!"

With a swift motion Mumbo pulled the wand from his holster swinging his arm forward towards Raven. As soon as he drew his wand on Raven a narrow tidal wave of trick flowers erupted from his sleeve bearing down on Raven.

Quickly Raven flew into the air avoiding the colorful onslaught below her as the stream of flowers struck a city bus behind her with the force of a tidal wave, knocking it over. She cast her hand to the side engulfing a floral delivery truck with an aura of black energy, levitating it slightly off the ground before tossing it high into the air like a lawn dart.

Mumbo looked up as the shadow of the plummeting vehicle began to close in around him. Leaping out of the way he narrowly dodged the falling truck as it half buried into the street with such force, the back door of the truck cracked open raining flowers to the ground around its close proximity.

He dusted a few stray carnations and other assorted flowers from his person. "Remind me not to catch the bouquet at your wedding."

Raven went into a dive flying towards him.

Mumbo pulled a deck of playing cards from his jacket. With a quick shuffle he split the deck between his hands, scattering the cards at his feet. Upon touching the ground the cards began to squirm and twitch, digging into the ground, burying themselves like seeds.

Raven continued towards him, arms out in front of her, hands glowing with energy amassing in her palms prepared to attack.

Suddenly the ground began to rumble. The street split open as a giant house of cards sprung up, obstructing Mumbo from view.

Raven didn't slow down, merely continuing forwards. She fanned out her hands sending a ripple of energy out in front of her that hit the dead center of the makeshift structure, toppling it as quickly as it had been created.

She coasted to a stop above the scattered pile of cards on the ground. She searched the area, but there was no sign of Mumbo. Another diversion, as she'd expected.

"Another admirable quality of a performer in training…"

Raven turned to find Mumbo on the other side of the street leaning against a mailbox, casually re-shuffling another deck of cards, fanning them out in front of him.

He swung his arm forward sending several cards whizzing through the air landing a few feet short of Raven. The instant the cards landed on the ground a large puff of white smoke erupted from each card. When the smoke dissipated there stood in place of the cards large magically transformed figures matching the likenesses of a jack, a queen, and a king. Each standing tall with a familiar blue complexion, looking down at Raven with sinister smirks of mischievous intent.

"…Performing before a 'full house'," Mumbo grinned.

The royal figures took a step towards her, the jack pulling a mace, the queen donning an axe, and the king sporting a long sword. In unison they raised their weapons high.

Raven crouched low to the ground. "I prefer a roundhouse." She sprung into the air just as their weapons came bearing down on her, swinging her leg forward. Her foot struck all three in semicircular motion leaving a trail of black energy rippling from her ankle which intensified the blow as all three attackers were sent skidding across the ground on their backs.

Steadily the three royal garbed minions got back to their feet, firmly gripping their weapons once more. All the while a proud smile matching Mumbo's never leaving their faces. Raven held firm, arms out to her sides preparing for the next attack.

"Hmm," Mumbo scratched his chin harboring doubt that the playing field was still too equal for his taste. "Card tricks certainly aren't what they used to be. Let's see if we can't find a little something extra to really get the crowd on their feet."

He removed his top hat, waving his hand over the top. He reached inside. "Observe. The hand is quicker than the ey-yi-YI-YIGH!" Mumbo shouted as a loud snap echoed from the hat, removing his hand and with it a green lobster clamping its claw firmly across his fingers.

Mumbo shook his hand vigorously in between yelps of pain trying to shake the infernal creature free. After a few frantic flails the lobster released its grip, flung in the direction of Mumbo's minions as they began to advance towards Raven. BeastBoy expanded in size midair into the form of an elephant, shifting to his side.

The royal henchman looked up just as the large green pachyderm plunged down on top of them, rolling over the three and pan caking them into the ground.

As he rolled clear BeastBoy returned to human form, skidding to one knee by Raven's side still at the ready to fend off another attack. But it was unnecessary as all three figures remained down and motionless, eventually dematerializing into ordinary playing cards once more.

"Boy, talk about performance issues," BeastBoy quipped.

Mumbo sucked on his fingers, as if trying to numb the sharp pain still lingering in his hand. Removing his hand he gave an irked grunt firmly pulling his top hat back onto his head. "Okay! That does it!" he rolled up his sleeves, his once carefree smirk now a malicious grin. "As much as it pains me to break up a good performance, it's time to split up this act."

Mumbo threw his hands forward, his gloves flying from his hands. One landed square on Raven's face, its fingers grabbing a tight hold over her nose and mouth. She struggled to pry it off, but its grip was too strong and with her mouth sealed she couldn't chant her mantra to properly focus her energies around it.

BeastBoy reached for her. But his attempt to help her was short lived as the other glove grew to the size of a car, crashing down on top of him and pinning him to the ground under its palm.

Raven continued to pry at the glove, ripping at its fingers and wrist. But just as she began to lift it an inch from her face the glove burst into a puff of smoke. More precisely, knock out gas, causing Raven to cough before an exasperated gasp as she collapsed to the ground.

BeastBoy pushed and wriggled every muscle in his body to get loose. The large animate glove still anchoring him merely dug its fingers into the pavement solidifying its hold. Still he resisted as best he could.

He looked up as Mumbo casually stood over him.

"Don't feel too bad, kid," he gloated as he dusted off his coat. "Ya put on a good show. But a good magician always has an ace up his sleeve."

A large playing card with the ace of spades sprung from the gloves wrist, its razor sharp edge stopping just short of BeastBoy's neck. One false move and he was sure to get the mother of all paper cuts.

"Shame really. Could've used a well-trained rabbit for the hat tricks. Even if he was a little green." Mumbo leaned over giving a satisfied smile. "But I guess the next hat they pull you out of will be six feet deep."

BeastBoy shifted his eyes to the side looking for any sign of movement from Raven.

"Aw, don't worry," Mumbo took notice. "No hard feelings. It comes with the territory. Sometimes ya work the good crowds and sometimes ya don't. There'll be other acts to follow." He placed his hat over his heart looking up.

"Dude, seriously. Do you EVER get tired of listening to yourself talk?" BeastBoy gave a dry stare. "You're not the only one who knows a trick or two ya know."

Mumbo glanced questionably at the trapped green boy. "Confident till the curtain falls. I respect that," he smirked. "But you don't really think you can beat a magician at his own game do you?"

"You don't really think I'll let ya just walk off without a fight, do you?" he replied. "Stop me if you've heard this one before. Now ya see me…"

Mumbo flipped his hand up. Though it wasn't really his intent, he refused to risk being upstaged by another do-gooder.

"Now ya…"

The ace swung downward.

_SHING!_

The edge of the card cut deep into the ground like a blade, even penetrating a few inches into the pavement.

Mumbo slowly looked back, having turned his head at the last second. Despite being a villain he never did care much for the sight of the more unsavory acts that came with his choice of criminal career. He much preferred the role of performer than executioner.

"Not my style, I know," he sighed with a tinge of pity before rekindling his smile. "But every so often ya just have to take things to a whole new… huh?"

Much to his surprise as he looked down BeastBoy was nowhere to be found. Gone from beneath the giant glove that was still unchanged from its spot firmly planted on the ground.

"Where did…? How…?" Mumbo dropped to his hands and knees, squinting to see if he'd changed form and crawled underneath. Getting back to his feet he gave a wave of his hand and in an instant the enormous glove shrank to its regular size.

No longer barring view of the street it was now clear to see that BeastBoy was indeed gone. No tracks, no trail, no clue as to where he might've gone.

Mumbo scratched his chin, looking back to find Raven still face down where she'd been. Also unchanged.

He walked over to her, standing over Raven's motionless figure as he made one last visual sweep of the surrounding area. Whether the changeling had fled to regroup or was lying in wait to attack, he still remained baffled as to how he'd done it. "Kids these days are finding better tricks all the time. Another trade secret, I'm sure." He looked down at her, lightly nudging her side with his foot.

Yielding no response, Mumbo shrugged. He had no loot for his efforts but he was still unscathed save for his pride. And he still had his freedom. It was time to cut his losses and exit the stage while he was still able.

"Well then," he gave a small bow and tip of the hat as show of respect, "Until the next stage is set." Mumbo turned walking away.

Just then he faintly heard a low murmur.

"Hmm?" he turned.

Mumbo walked back, kneeling down beside Raven with a hand beside his ear. Again he could vaguely make out a few grumblings posing as words.

"What was that?" He pushed her partially onto her side.

Raven lay still with her ear against the ground, eyes shut, her mouth trembling to open.

Mumbo leaned in closer. "Didn't quite catch that, kid."

Raven's eyes opened wide as her hand rose to her shoulder. "AlaKazam!"

A black vortex opened point blank in front of Mumbo. A green spider monkey sprung from the mystic opening latching onto Mumbo's face. The small monkey tugged on Mumbo's mustache, poked him in the eyes, slapping and beating against his face like a drum as he screeched in primal manner.

Mumbo yelled in both pain and annoyance as he backpedaled several feet, shaking his head as he swung his torso while using both arms to attempt to throw the little beast from his shoulders.

Finally Mumbo was able to separate the green monkey's grip, seizing him by the wrist and flinging him into the air. Though the chimp landed squarely on his feet as he turned to flail his arms and razz the magician with his tongue.

Mumbo huffed as he tried to catch his breath, running his hand along the side of his head to straighten his hair. That's when the realization struck him as his hand felt around the alarming vacancy atop his head. His top hat was gone.

It was then he looked up to see his hat ensnared in the monkey's tail.

He turned, running up alongside Raven who was now on her feet. The little monkey climbed up her leg, around her back onto her shoulder where he placed the hat on her head with a playful smile clapping his hands. Raven too shared a small smile of her own.

Mumbo narrowed his eyes with a flare of his nostrils. He too curled a smile beneath his pointy nose.

Throwing out his arm, his wand sprung forth from his sleeve, catching it in his hand. He gave a quick twirl and then thrust it forward. "Mumbo Jumbo!"

In an instant the top hat expanded around them, transforming, seizing the both of them in what appeared to be a magic cabinet.

"Sharp as ever. Misdirection is a magician's best friend," he knocked on the side of the cabinet before reaching around to the side, retrieving the top hat from thin air. "Too bad it works both ways."

He placed both hands on the side of the cabinet. "But one good turn deserves another." He spun the cabinet around and around at dizzying speed. It twirled for a few seconds before eventually grinding to a stop beside Mumbo's hand.

He threw open the cabinet. "And behind door number one?"

BeastBoy and Raven steadied themselves against the inside of the cabinet; still woozy from the centrifugal force they'd endured inside. They swayed momentarily as their pupils briefly kept spinning just after they had.

"Wha-ah-uh-ugh-oh," BeastBoy stabilized himself. He brought both hands to his head as if trying to make the world around him finally stop spinning. "Anybody get the license plate number on that washing machine?"

Suddenly he perked his head up, wrapping his arms around his waist as a brief shiver rattled against his teeth. "Ooh-wuh-wuh-wuh! Is there a draft in here?"

"No," Raven replied also regaining her bearings, steadying a hand against her forehead. "But I do feel rather… constricted."

They both looked down to discover the cause of their newfound discomfort.

"Whah!" the two heroes yelped in shock as they were now finding themselves aware of BeastBoy in Raven's outfit and Raven in BeastBoy's uniform.

BeastBoy was quick to throw the long cloak around his exposed legs, clearly taken by surprise at the sudden exposure of his bare skinned legs so suddenly and in a combat situation. The fact that Raven's leotard did little to conceal his lower anatomy was probably an after thought as well.

Raven followed a similar reaction throwing her arms around herself, one across her chest, the other below her waist, trying to cover as much as possible. While not unaccustomed to tight clothing, BeastBoy's ensemble felt a little more formfitting than she was used to. Like it contoured across every inch of her, highlighting every inch of her body's shape. It felt as if she were wearing almost nothing at all.

"Is this what they call an out of body experience?" BeastBoy queried.

Raven merely gave an impatient stare. Not daring to pull either hand away long enough to smack him.

"Hmm…" Mumbo scratched his chin. "Shoe's on the other foot. But doesn't look to be a good fit."

Mumbo slammed the cabinet door, taking firm hold to the side once more, twirling the cabinet like a top. After a few seconds of high-speed rotations the cabinet came to a stop. And once more Mumbo threw open the cabinet door.

"What the-?"

BeastBoy wore a matching red suit and hat with white fur lining around the sleeves and a big black leather belt across his waist with matching black boots. A clearly fake, thick white beard, which BeastBoy was quick to tear from his face as it muffled his voice. BeastBoy was dressed in the splitting image of Santa Clause. Minus the holly jolly waistline.

He looked to his side to find Raven hunched in sour expression as she was donned in a hefty light pink rabbit suit with a basket of colored eggs hung from her arm. Chalk up one more unpleasant experience with rabbits on Mumbo's behalf.

She shifted her eyes to the side at the young changeling. "You're out of season." Seemingly all she could muster from spite of having the theme of floppy ears once again forced upon her person.

BeastBoy crossed his arms as if sore about being overlooked as to how good a Santa he looked. "You put on weight," he teasingly remarked at the bulky fluff padding the inside of Raven's suit.

Raven shot up straight, planting the Easter basket onto his head with a SPLAT as yolks dribbled down his face.

Mumbo slammed the door closed. "Not bad. But I don't care much for holiday specials."

Again he gave the cabinet an intense spin. And once more the cabinet came to a halt. The door flung open.

"Perhaps imitation is the most sincerest form of flattery," Mumbo boasted at the latest transformation.

BeastBoy was dressed in a dark green tuxedo with a dark purple collar and bow tie, white gloves, and a top hat. The ensemble was a similar magician's attire to that of his captor. He looked from shoulder to shoulder at his new look with a shudder. "Please tell me this isn't a hand-me-down," he said with a nauseous sense of concern.

He looked beside him to find Raven in a deep blue sequins gown that cut off just above the knee. No doubt intended to be taking up the role of the 'lovely assistant', to which she could not help but feel slightly belittled.

However not missing the irony of this role reversal, she gave a casual role of the eyes. "Now this makes two people in tuxes who can't do proper magic." She mused at Mumbo's expense with just a snippet aimed at BeastBoy for misusing her spell books a while back.

"Hey, no way I'm sportin' that look," he waved off the prospect of trading outfits. "Besides I don't got the legs for it." He tugged at his pant legs to contrast her short outfit causing a flock of pigeons to fly out from inside.

Raven gave a small smirk as the swarm of birds scattered up past him, flapping him in the face with stray feathers left hanging on his outfit.

Mumbo narrowed his gaze as the door snapped shut. "On second thought, too many performers spoil the show," he scowled.

With a wave of his wand he materialized a pull start on the side of the cabinet. He grabbed hold of the handle with a renewed smile, putting one foot squarely against the side of the cabinet, giving a mighty heave. After two or three sharp pulls the cabinet started to sputter like an outboard motor, whirling and twirling quicker than it had before. It spun faster and faster, rocking back and forth, almost starting to lift off the ground.

Mumbo leaned forward, one hand pressing his top hat against his head, having to fight the amount of wind resistance being put off just to stand upright.

The cabinet came to a screeching halt.

"Ya know something? It takes talent to spot talent. Memorable acts come and go. But you two?" he straightened his collar. "You both have such good chemistry together on stage…"

The cabinet door swung open.

"What say we take it to the next level?" he grinned.

BeastBoy shook off yet another dizzying spin. "Dude, seriously. This is getting' way old."

"Old is all he does," Raven pointed out, rubbing the wobbly blur from her eyes. "Old tricks, old hat, old age."

"Yeah, well that still doesn't change the fact that we're totally gonna' kick his-" BeastBoy stopped abruptly catching sight of his new attire.

Mumbo's current cabinet transformation was just starting to come into focus. BeastBoy was dressed in a formal black suit with silver cufflinks. White dress shirt underneath accented by a black tie. A white handkerchief tucked into his breast pocket. Polished black dress shoes.

"Okay, didn't we already do the 'wanna' be magician' act? Cause I don't do reruhhhh…" BeastBoy looked beside him finding a shortness of both words and thought.

Raven was dressed in a stunning backless white wedding gown. Silk and lace delicately woven over her figure, a radiant contrast to her undressed bare arms holding a small bouquet of pale yellow roses and ivory white orchids. Her hair slightly pulled back. A transparent white veil draped down over her face.

Raven at last looked to have shaken the last of the dizziness from her only to find her vision somewhat obscured by the new accessory donned atop her head, quick to tear back the veil from her face. "What the…" all she could muster looking herself over. She spread her arms, looking from shoulder to shoulder as she angrily noted every last insufferable detail to this magical mockery.

BeastBoy just stared, unsure of what else to do.

Raven caught sight of BeastBoy's somewhat vacant gawk. "What?" she quietly said in uncertainty, inching away. She pulled her arms around her instinctually unable to shake the embarrassment of once again being used as a living dress up doll.

"Uh…" BeastBoy stammered. He'd never seen Raven dressed like this. Like this? He'd never seen Raven 'dressed' at all. And while she certainly never cared for outward remarks on how she dressed before, what was there to say? What would get him pummeled more? How good she looked or how bad a fit it was for her persona?

Though truth be told there was a certain radiance about her. Maybe it was a side effect of Mumbo's cabinet; maybe it was the constant dizziness he'd endured that was making him lightheaded, but it felt like his vision was being slightly distorted. Like the effect in Japanese cartoons where everything around you gets all bright and glittery and you're surrounded by bubbles for some reason.

Raven stared impatiently, narrowing her eyes at the green boy beside her. The look of aggravation all she could do to mask her own silent observation of his like-wise change in appearance.

It was certainly different. She'd never even contemplated the idea of BeastBoy in a suit. And certainly not how much it seemed to radically overshadow so much of his personality in such a drastic way. He had a look of maturity to him. Distinction. Class. No impression whatsoever that this was the same person who on occasion would build a fort at the foot of his bed with dirty laundry and play the harmonica with his nose.

"I-I…uh…" BeastBoy fumbled, shyly rubbing the back of his head.

Raven looked down staring at the ground. Or at least what little ground that visible and not hidden by her gown. "Yeah. Um…"

"This is kinda'… I mean n-not that you…"

"Don't… Just… Maybe…"

Awkward silence, save for occasional forced syllable brought on by the quickest of glances back and forth between each other.

Mumbo could not help but delight in this development as he concealed a snicker. He'd all but completely immobilized them and seemingly neutralized their very train of thought. "Mmm… Needs something," he deviously scratched his chin.

Always a perfectionist when it came to the details he needed that one final feature. The proverbial icing on the cake.

"That's it!" he said with a snap of his fingers. Mumbo drew his wand in hand once more giving a wave and an upward thrust high into the air.

From below to the two teens feet sprung an enormous three-tiered wedding cake, lifting them high into the air. The cake surged and grew to forty feet high, thick coatings of vanilla icing covering every square inch.

Raven and BeastBoy remained glued to the spot, shaken but unmoving. Their feet deeply entrenched in thick white frosting as if nothing more than decoration.

Mumbo gazed atop the mountainous desert and the two decorative toppers above. "And now that we've all had our just desserts," he rolled up his sleeves, "It's time to bring this show to a close."

With a swish of his wand in the air the magic cabinet sprung up from beneath the cake right behind the two heroes. Its doors ominously opened wide giving way to a void of utter blackness inside. The magician's intent was made clear. He was preparing to send them on a honeymoon. Into oblivion.

"And now, for my final act," he held his hands high as if catering to the ever present crowd in his mind. "I will now make this happy couple… DISAPPEAR." He smiled malevolently.

He tilted his top hat back, reeling back with both arms. One hand flexing his fingertips, the other waving his wand in preparation. He was ready. His magic in control. The final curtain set to lower.

…

"Uh…"

Something was amiss. The stage was set for the performance of a lifetime, but Mumbo couldn't help but feel… out of sync. Restless over something he couldn't quite put his finger on.

He looked to the top of the cake at his two captives. Still anchored in place. Still unchanged. Only sharing occasional fleeting glances at one another.

"Ahem!" he pretended to clear his throat as he lowered his posture briefly before holding himself high in preparation once more. "I will NOW make this HAPPY COUPLE… DISAPPEAR!"

No reaction.

No witty banter.

No idle threats.

Just two well dressed teens bashfully sharing the same awkward space. Their eyes cast up at the sky or down at the ground in between the occasional timid looks as if trying to think of what to say to one another.

Mumbo's teeth began to quiver. A cold sweat dripped from his brow. He had them right where he wanted them. Alone, helpless, and no escape. Just a flick of the wrist and he could beat a hasty exit to perform another day. The reviews would be in his favor, the performance of a lifetime, and two less interlopers to upstage him at future venues.

But it was all for not if he didn't have the spotlight. The captive audience's attention was elsewhere. It was unprofessional.

"ERRRRGGGHH!" Mumbo fumed, "HEY!"

He threw his hands to his sides, defiantly marching towards the base of the towering cake. He did have his pride. And he was still a performer above all else.

He stared daggers at the both of them but it was if he wasn't even there. He smacked his hand onto his face dragging his fingers down across his features in sheer frustration.

**PLOP! **

**SPLAT!**

**PLOP!**

Mumbo stomped heavily up the side of the cake sinking his once polished shoes and stainless black dress pants deep into the spongy mass of cake and its thick gobs of sugary glaze.

"There… are certain levels… of common courtesy," he huffed in between wide steps, continuing to ascend higher up the first tier of the cake. "When a performer… takes… the stage!"

Mumbo finally made the last messy trudge onto the top layer of the cake, several pounds of frosting clinging all around his legs. After a moment to catch his breath from the exhausting upward hike the magician stared down his two oblivious spectators.

"So without further adieu, can we wrap this show up!" he crossed in arms in bitter intolerance.

BeastBoy glanced at Raven.

Raven glanced at BeastBoy.

The two finally meeting eyes for more than a fleeting glance.

"Now?" he asked politely.

"Now," Raven gave a nod with a small smile.

The two teens reeled back their arms. BeastBoy's arm morphing to that of a gorilla's brutish fist, a bulging orb of building telekinetic energy amassing outside Raven's knuckles, bawling up their fists in harmony before shooting them straight out in front of them parallel to both side of Mumbo's face.

**BLAM!**

The impact erupted like a crack of thunder as the magician was sent airborne, arcing over the side of the towering cake. Tumbling down tier after tier, soaking up frosting like a snowball rolling down a steep hill. Bounding and falling over and over again, layer after layer, his entire being now encased in a heavy coating of white frosting as he sluggishly rolled to a stop back onto the pavement with a splat.

On the up side, the outer shell of icing he now wore around him like a hefty white round overcoat had softened the fall. So there wasn't much additional damage done to his person. However the frosting had all but solidified, thickened and tightly packed around his entire body save for his head.

Mumbo woozily shook his head. He could feel his face starting to swell as the searing imprint of each of the Titan's fist prints were now beginning to puff out against the side of his cheeks. The soreness followed close behind as he could feel everything below his eyelids starting to throb and tingle with the burning sensation of defeat. "Newlyweds…" he babbled before blacking out.

Meanwhile back on top of the world, as it were, BeastBoy pulled at his leg trying to pry it free from the icing. "So," he yanked at his knee with a strain in his voice, "Gonna' ask me if I'm sick of sugar now?"

Raven rolled her eyes throwing out her hand in Mumbo's direction.

Mumbo's wand uprooted itself from the sugary mass that held the magician in place. Encased in black energy it flew to Raven's hand where she grasped it tightly before snapping it in two.

The magic cabinet vanished in a puff of smoke. The frosting began to dissolve. The massive cake beneath their feet began to deflate in size. All of Mumbo's magic was slowing coming undone.

Raven discarded the wand fragment over her shoulder with a sigh of relief. "Glad that's over."

"Uh, Raven?" BeastBoy asked in a somewhat concerned manner.

She turned.

BeastBoy shyly pointed down.

Raven looked down.

In the moment of triumph of nullifying Mumbo's magic she'd forgotten just how high off the ground they were.

The cake began to break apart.

"Oh," came her deadpan realization.

All three tiers gave way crumbling into nothingness.

"WAAAGHH!" they yelled in a downward plunge towards the ground.

**SPLOOSH!**

BeastBoy landed in a thick mountain of frosting on the ground, softly but messily breaking his fall. Shakily he sat up knocking a stray bit of frosting from out of his ear.

He quickly looked up to find Raven still falling, coming right down on top of him. BeastBoy held out his arms, catching her in his lap.

Raven remained motionless for a moment, caught bridal style in BeastBoy's arms. The two meeting eyes just long enough to blink. She was quick to shove herself away. But in doing so only to fall into the same pile of sugary paste that had saved them.

"So… yeah. This was a day to remember." BeastBoy obliged in a bit of sarcasm befitting Raven as he got to his feet.

"Hardly one I'll soon forget," she huffed wiping icing from her face as she walked, stopping short of Mumbo verifying he was indeed still out cold and no longer a threat. "Though I'll certainly try."

They watched as the last remnants of the magician's magic dissipated. Save for a few reverted props and lingering mounds of frosting the street was essentially restored to normal.

"Little property damage and a few chunks missin' from the main street," BeastBoy surveyed the most noticeable damage, "But overall, chalk up another one for the good guys." He gave a thumbs up in approval.

"Now let's just call the others before…" Raven reached for her communicator. But found only the delicate white wedding gown hanging at her hips. In fact her entire wedding dress was still intact, covering her standard apparel.

She looked up at BeastBoy. He too was still dressed in Mumbo's magically summoned wedding attire. Where as everything else had reverted back, their outfits remained.

BeastBoy looked curiously at her, keying to the mildly alarmed look in her eyes. "Uh," he started, "Problem?" The only time Raven had that look was when something was wrong or when he'd done something to light her fuse. Which in many ways was pretty much the same thing.

"Good deduction," she dryly hissed, "Why are we still dressed like this?"

"Dunno'," he shrugged. "Hocus pocus and presti-digi-whatzits is your department."

She grumbled as if she had expected anything less. Raven rested her hand on her chin in deep thought. "Mumbo draws his magic from the hat. But his wand is how he focuses and directs it. We broke the wand so the energies that it focused all should have dispersed. So why did-"

"No problem. We just do it the hard way." BeastBoy took firm hold of his left sleeve. With a swift pull he tore the sleeve off the tuxedo, ripping at the shoulder. The magic remnants of the outfit torn away, there beneath were BeastBoy's gloved hand and uniform clothed arm. "See?"

Just seconds after forcibly removing the article of clothing, the torn seam gently glowed. From the shoulder of the tuxedo a new sleeve instantly stitched itself over BeastBoy's arm, leaving him fully dressed as if nothing had happened.

"Huh?"

BeastBoy tore away the sleeve again with more force and a more determined look on his face. And again, the sleeve grew back. He ripped it off again. It grew back. Every tear, rip, and shred was mended as fast as he could remove it. Over and over again he tried to remove part of the tuxedo. The opposite sleeve, the collar, the pants. But as fast as he exposed his uniform underneath, the tuxedo would regenerate over it.

BeastBoy found himself short of breath, panting heavily from his vigorous failed attempts. "Okay, Raven. I give. Go ahead."

"Go ahead and what?" she said.

"Ya know, wiggle your fingers and just make this thing fly off or something and make me look totally stupid for trying?"

"There are two things wrong with that, BeastBoy. One, trying and making you look stupid are usually the natural order of things as they are the same. And two, this isn't some spell or incantation I can just shoo away."

BeastBoy gave a small frown. Was there ever going to be a situation that didn't leave him open to ridicule?

"When I broke Mumbo's wand, my powers must've disrupted the flow of magic feeding into these insipid outfits," she looked down. "And now they seem to be drawing whatever trace amounts of my powers they can to sustain them."

"So… these things are usin' you like a battery?" he scratched his head.

"More or less," she sighed. "At least until I can figure out a way to stop their flow of magic."

Raven was doing her best to keep a cool head in the midst of this situation but it didn't make her ensemble any easier to choke down. The fact that no one else was around to see this debacle was the only thing keeping her within rational boundaries of thought. Still, the sooner they were off the streets and out of sight, the better.

"There's nothing we can do from here. Let's get back to the tower," Raven turned, embarrassingly lifting her gown just enough to comfortably walk.

BeastBoy turned to follow but looked back at Mumbo, still down for the count and neck deep in frosting. "What about him?"

"The others will no doubt be along shortly. All the more reason to leave unnoticed." Raven shrunk her head between her shoulders in discomfort at the idea of Starfire or Cyborg stumbling upon either of them like this.

"Hmm," he pondered. He shot upright with a smile, snapping his fingers. "Hang on a sec."

BeastBoy dashed back towards Mumbo, busily arranging a proper farewell for the blue-faced villain and all the headaches he'd visited upon them today. Taking a step back to double check his work he gave a nod of approval before dashing back alongside Raven.

Curiously Raven tilted her head from BeastBoy back to their unconscious adversary. She gave a small smirk in appreciation. "Certainly know how to make the most of your surroundings." And with that Raven encircled them both with a black sphere of energy sinking into the ground and transporting back to Titans Tower.

Mere moments after their departure it was then that Cyborg dropped onto the street with a clang as his thick metal feet struck the pavement, falling to one knee with his sonic cannon primed and ready. Starfire swooped down low just above having air lifted him to the scene, both hands emitting a dense flow of green energy to her palms. Lastly came the whiz of Robin's grappling hook, snagging the side of a nearby ledge as he propelled himself through the air and touching down on the ground between his fellow Titans. Bow staff extended in one hand, bird-a-rang tight in the grip of the other.

"Alright, Mumbo," came a firm ultimatum, "Surrender or we…"

Robin's well-prepared address pandered off at the sight that awaited them. Mumbo was incapacitated in what appeared to be a mammoth sized snowball of white frosting with his head poking out and his fingers barely prying up through the thick goo. His top hat was compacted down onto his head, leaving just enough room for a white wedding veil to cover his face. Tied around his neck were several strings attached to tin cans that dangled against the street with a sign propped under his chin reading: 'JUST BUSTED'.

It was a perplexing sight. The Titans were used to gift-wrapping the bad guys for the authorities. But it seemed someone had beat them to it.

The three heroes eased out of combat stance though still somewhat unsure of what to make of it.

"The magic Mumbo has been defeated," Starfire smiled. "Yes?" she asked with a hint of uncertainty having never seen such a ritual of earthly incarceration such as this before.

"I would say so," Cyborg conjectured as he converted his sonic cannon back to his standard arm function. He dipped his finger into the frosting before sampling a taste with a smack of his lips. "Though personally I prefer my bad guys with strawberry icing."

Robin pulled his communicator from his utility belt. "I'll contact the authorities."

"Might be easier to call a caterer," he joked concerning Mumbo's abundance of cake themed decoration.

"Friends Raven and BeastBoy? They are absent over their victory?" Starfire asked in concern. "I pray they're not injured most fatal."

"I'm sure they're fine, Star." Robin assured. "If it were anything serious they would've notified us by now. Probably…'complications' from their encounter with Mumbo." Robin gave a quick study of the amassed sugary slop that encased the villain in question.

"Probably a story too," Cyborg inspected the veil atop Mumbo's head as he was starting to come around. "Probably one we're never gonna' hear either."

Raven and BeastBoy walked side by side down the halls of the tower, Raven occasionally lagging a few steps due to her still cumbersome blouse getting caught under her feet.

"You really think ya can get these things off?" BeastBoy tugged at his collar in equal discomfort.

"There's bound to be a spell in one of my ancient texts that covers removing outer magic of foreign energies," she sighed to herself but assured.

"Um, if you… say so," he mentally stumbled with her subject classification. "Just outta' curiosity, ya know… worst case scenario… what if there's nothin' in the books that can help us?"

Raven looked up at the ceiling in thought as they drew closer to her room. "Worst case, we wait for the magic to lose its compatible hold over whatever amount of energy my powers bonded with it."

"Oh. Well, yeah. That makes sense," he gave a nervous laugh as if not thrown by Raven's superior knowledge and understanding. "The old waitin' game. How long could that be?" BeastBoy gave a needed boost of optimism.

"Maybe hours. Maybe days," she stared ahead in neutral dread. "Maybe longer."

"Yeeesh," BeastBoy rubbed the back of his neck in awkward fashion as if sorry that he'd asked. "That could seriously cramp my style. I mean I know they say, 'dress for success' and all. But I prefer somethin' a little more casual. Plus I feel kinda' silly in this monkey suit."

"You look fine," she said casually. "I'm the one who's going to have to bar the door and observe isolation if it comes to that." Raven would too. Not that the possibility was previously unheard of if she were in the right kind of mood. "Could this be any more degrading?"

"You don't look so bad."

Raven stopped, looking over her shoulder questionably.

BeastBoy froze. Nervously he took a step back, not sure if he'd said the right thing. "I-I mean… uh… y-you do. No! I mean, you never did before. Bu-But uh… you are kinda'… I dunno'… pretty?"

Raven just blinked, softly batting her eyelashes as she did. She turned towards him.

BeastBoy threw his arms over his head to block the corrective action he felt coming his way.

Raven reached out for him.

BeastBoy shut his eyes.

She slightly straightened his tie.

He looked down just as she delicately took hold of the tie in one hand, the knot in the other. Suddenly she pulled down with just enough force to tighten it around BeastBoy's collar with a small jerk to the throat.

"Gghnk!" he gave a low gag.

"And you," she began firmly. Raven gave a lopsided smile. "Could do a lot worse."

BeastBoy retuned a small smile of his own. A little unclear if she was talking about his suit, his comment, or the idea of her as a bride. But he was already notorious for asking her to overly explain things that often resulted in him losing further understanding while sometimes getting a side order of open palm to the soft spot on his head and souring her mood. Best not to push it for now.

"We could always paint it blue," he tried to lighten her burden in a different color in the event things didn't play out to her liking.

She walked away towards the end of the hall, giving her half smile time to fade on its own in light of the sweet, albeit foolish, sentiment.

The door to Raven's room opened just as BeastBoy caught up beside her. "Just try to keep quiet while I sift through the necessary books."

"I could just wait out here… if ya want?" he asked with a lost look in his eye as if unsure of what help he could be.

Raven looked at him with the smallest sense of appreciation. He knew how she was most effectively in tune with magic in a solitary atmosphere. Especially where books and reading were concerned. "Better that I can keep you where I can keep an eye on you. Besides, if the others were to see you dressed like that, I can only surmise what they'd envision me to be in."

He perked up just a bit, even if only for the fact that she was plainly saying he'd give away their predicament otherwise. "Good point," he chuckled lightly at his own getup.

BeastBoy walk towards the open door, Raven gesturing him welcome to come inside. But he stopped short of the doorway, shrinking back as if reluctant to step inside.

"What's wrong?" she asked.

"Um… isn't it like… a tradition or something to… carry you over the 'threshold'?" he twiddled his thumbs. "Or something?"

"BeastBoy," she began in her calmest, most patiently scolding voice, "May I remind you there is more than one way to 'annul' this arrangement?" Raven softly balled her fist as a mass of energy gathered to her hand.

"Eh-heh-heh," he nervously laughed. "Just askin'."

Raven walked inside, BeastBoy following close behind as the door swished shut behind them.

It was late the next morning. The day had begun, breakfast was ended, and fees had been well past collected. BeastBoy sat on the couch beside Robin, playing head to head on the gamestation with nothing but time on his hands as Cyborg was noticeably absent. Well underway in his immense undertaking of restoring some semblance of order to the sullied chaos that was BeastBoy's room. A chore certain to take up most of the day. At the least.

Starfire kneeled beside the couch, splitting her attention between observing the two at play and teaching Silkie to do tricks.

"Come, Silkie," she cheered. "Do as you have been taught."

Silkie tilted his head up; wriggling and gurgling in the affectionate way only he could express himself with.

"Come on my little bungorf," she encouraged.

"Whatcha' tryin' to teach'em, Star?" BeastBoy inquired as Robin paused the game to likewise shift his attention to the little maggots' activity.

"It is Earth custom to train other species companions to initiate acts on command to strengthen their bond with those whom they are share living quarters with. So I have taken much joy in the teaching of Silkie a few most basic pet like functions."

"Roll over?" BeastBoy ventured a guess.

"Play dead?" Robin followed.

"Oh, something much more formal." She kneeled down closer, clasping her hands together. "Come on, Silkie."

Silkie sat up.

"That's it," she smiled. "As I have instructed."

He bulged and puffed out his lower region, holding his head back as the faintest chewing and gurgling sounds began to build from his tiny little abdomen. Almost like the growl of an empty stomach but higher in pitch.

"That's it," she said giddily with excitement. "You are-"

_**BLEUCKHH!**_

The little maggot spit up a thick stream of dense slime, hitting her in the chest that knocked Starfire onto her back.

"Star!" Robin called in concern.

Starfire merely sat up grinning ear to ear with pride, laughing as she took Silkie into her arms, cradling him in joy. "Most fine boy, Silkie."

BeastBoy and Robin both did their best to hold back their mild disgust for the sake of Starfire's feelings.

"You're teachin' him to puke on command?" BeastBoy inquired. "Why is that gross yet… somehow cool?"

"On my planet there is no greater show of honor and dignity than for one's pet to present his mucilage," she explained as she patted him on the head.

"I'm guessing leash laws are a long way off on that planet," Robin mused quietly to his teammate beside him as they resumed their game.

On the far end of the couch sat Raven. Book in hand and reclined comfortably. And while present and accounted for with the rest of the group she was also, in a sense, separate. At least from her restricted auditory functions, courtesy of Cyborg's custom earpieces.

Karma was indeed in effect. She'd stomached this month long wager and now her efforts had bore fruit. Frequency isolating earplugs making any place in the tower her own personal sound deprivation chamber. The fact that Cyborg was in BeastBoy's room scuffing his finish on dirt, grime, and hopefully much worse, was a bonus.

She took a deep breath, closing her eyes. Raven exhaled slowly as she looked to her side at the others. Mouths moving and not so much as a sound to be heard. A vacuum. A void of sound. "Sweet peace," she whispered to herself.

It had been like this for most of the morning now. Ever since she'd plucked them from Cyborg's hands just before BeastBoy had handed him a bucket of cleaning supplies in their place. They hadn't left her ears. A long overdue holiday of nothing but stillness and tranquility.

A few minutes went by. And still not a sound to be heard.

It all seemed too good to be true. Raven would occasionally glance up from the book once or twice. But then just as quickly turn back to her place.

She began to stir. She shifted position on the couch.

She leaned from one side to the other.

She put one leg up.

Then she put it back down.

The words on the page began to lose meaning. She flipped to another page. Then another. Then another. But reading had lost its appeal. She felt antsy. Restless. But she didn't know why.

She shut the book holding it to her chest.

Raven reached up pushing one of the buttons on the side of the earpiece. All sound came back instantly. Starfire further encouraging Silkie. Robin and BeastBoy exchanging each other's accustomed sounds of fleeting victory and bitter defeat in their back and forth struggle within the game at play.

She shut her eyes briefly. Then pressed button again.

As before, her ears muted. Silence once more.

She looked up at the ceiling, closing here eyes once more as she pressed another button.

The sound filtered, canceling all surrounding noise. Isolating and canceling out every sound. Every sound that is, except BeastBoy.

Her mind clicked. There was a renewed sense of clarity. She could align her thoughts. Focus returned to her.

She opened her eyes, shifting her pupils to the side so as not to be noticed of the small, perplexed look on her face.

One month. One month tolerating every level of distraction she ever thought possible. One month pushing through turbulence in her mind that clamored for an escape. One month of BeastBoy, on tap, despite every personal instinct and precaution against it. Some good, some bad, some… mildly confusing. But after all she'd been through, everything she'd endured…

She solemnly shook her head. "Don't tell me I actually got used to it," she muttered bitterly to herself.

This entire ordeal had hammered one particularly poignant revelation into Raven's mind. It was as irritating as it was profound. There was such a thing as too much quiet. And if there was one thing BeastBoy was particularly well equipped to deal with, it was to prevent suffocation from silence. To keep the serious from getting too serious.

She sighed.

The main room doors suddenly opened as Cyborg hobbled inside. All heads turned in surprise to find him back from his up until recently insurmountable task. He slowly walked inside around to the front of the couch where he lingered for only a few seconds until absolutely certain he was behind the cushions as he let himself fall backwards.

"Ahh," he gave a relaxed sigh as he sank into the cushions.

"Finished so soon?" Robin asked, looking up at the nearby wall clock to verify it had only been a few hours.

"No," Cyborg responded. "But… I'm getting' there." Hardly an ounce of enthusiasm escaped him. Not to mention the slightest inkling of assurance or optimism.

The sheen to the outer finish of his cybernetic components had gone dull. Dust affixed itself to more than half of his metallic surfaces and exterior parts and assembly. Trace amounts of cleaning solvent were clearly visible, spattered atop his forearms and knee joint. And the subtle suggestion of bleach and ammonia hovered about him like a storm cloud over his head.

"Well, at least you're making prog-WHOA!" Robin was quick to cover his nose and mouth as the strong scent of disinfectant overwhelmed the immediate air around him. "I suspected it would be bad, but is it 'that' bad?"

"Nah," he swatted with his hand. "It'll take a little more work before its 'that' bad."

"Dude, I don't mind ya takin' a breather," BeastBoy held his nose with a mild gag, "As long as you allow us the same." He shrank in size as he assumed the form of a small green skunk, turning his back to his friend and lifting his tail to give a sprits of skunk spray.

He quickly turned his head, shielding his face with his hands. The blast of odor hit Cyborg dead on, though hardly fazing him. Slowly pulling his hands away he gave a cautious sniff with his twitching nostril. "That actually smells… better."

The previously burning arid aroma of bleach died down, yielding to the lingering smell of what could be described as rotten banana peels and coffee grounds. Between the intensely clean smell and the noxious bad smell it seemed the two opposing odors cancelled each other out leaving the air somewhat neutral.

Everyone breathed in relief, un-pinching their noses.

Cyborg brushed himself off, attempting to wipe a bit of the more obvious signs of his labor intensive struggle with the elements of un-cleanliness visited upon him in BeastBoy's room.

From over his shoulder a game controller presented itself, dangling in front of him. He looked over to find BeastBoy offering a more cleansing alterative to shake the fatigue from his senses.

"Couple quick games before ya get back to work?" he asked with a small grin. "Less of course you don't wanna' lose AGAIN so soon."

"Oh, bring it on short, green, and gruesome!" Cyborg excitedly snatched the controller with a rejuvenated vigor. He might still have a job to do, but he couldn't be expected to complete a task like that in one go. Besides he'd earned a break.

Raven stood up, carrying her book under her arm as she exited the main room. Perhaps another choice in literature was in order.

Robin rose from the couch to give Cyborg more room and to check on Starfire and be sure Silkie's trick hadn't had any unforeseen complications. It was anyone's guess what could affect Silkie on the inside; let alone what came out of him.

BeastBoy and Cyborg played head to head on screen only briefly losing themselves to the events that had lead up to today.

"Ya know, gotta' tell you," Cyborg began, never averting his eyes from the screen, his fingers mashing franticly the buttons on his controller, "This whole bet thing? Not what I thought it was gonna' be."

"Little late for regrets, Cy," BeastBoy responded as he matched pace on his own controller, also not looking away.

"Naw, I mean I figured most of the stuff that went down early on. Raven blows up at you, you implode on her, that I saw comin' a mile away. But after that? Man, I didn't think things would mellow like they did," he shrugged.

BeastBoy gave a momentary break from the screen just to look at his metallic friend funny. "Mellow?"

Cyborg caught the green boy's expression out of the corner of his eye, looking at him like he had to be joking. Or perhaps the fumes had affected his brain. "Okay, okay! Maybe mellow ain't the word. But ya know what I mean."

"Un-blow-up-able?" BeastBoy snickered.

"Close. But I never assume un-ANYTHING when Raven's in the right state of mind. Or wrong," he quivered at the thought of a few close calls visited upon him.

"Yeah," he hung his head off to the side. "She's got that way about her."

There was a short silence between them as their gameplay intensified. Each gaining the lead and falling behind by closer margins back and forth.

"So… what's your secret?" Cyborg restarted the conversation in the subtle hopes of distracting his green friend long enough to take a substantial lead.

"To what? Staying alive?" he answered, guessing he could only assume he was insinuating self-preservation under the previous circumstances.

"You know. Raven. You had to have picked up a trick or two. Otherwise no way you coulda' held out as long as ya did," Cyborg scoffed.

BeastBoy's eyes wandered past his controller giving the matter some thought. He did have a point. There was no way he could've maintained himself under normal means without having to adapt in some way. At least not that he would've noticed.

"Well?" Cyborg gave a verbal nudge after a prolonged silence, signaling he wasn't going to let the issue slide.

"Well," BeastBoy reluctantly began, "…there are two things I kinda' had to learn quick bein' around Raven pretty much all day."

Cyborg leaned his head to the side to listen more intently, but retaining view of the screen dead ahead.

"The first is, Raven is used to bein' alone. And alone is hard to compete with. Especially when someone takes a liking to it. Ya try to take that away from her, you're askin' for trouble. The best you can do is kinda' try to show her that… I dunno'… ya can be 'alone' together."

A smile curled to the side of Cyborg's mouth. To which BeastBoy shifted to the side uncomfortably as if able to hear it.

"DUDE!" he was quick to defend his last statement and how it sounded. "Not what I meant! What I mean is ya show her ya can have the alone without actually being alone."

"Isn't that like 'misery loves company'?" Cyborg responded.

"Come on, Cy. She just really really likes her peace and quiet. Probably cause it reminds her there are better things to do than putting walkin' junk piles like you through the floor."

"Look who's talkin'. She practically uses you as a human lawn dart at least once a week."

"Yeah. And how many times she done that lately?"

Cyborg opened his mouth to speak but found no counter argument to be made. He was right. Throughout this entire wager Raven had relied on BeastBoy less and less as a human projectile. Maybe cause he was working his way into her alone time like he was saying. Maybe she thought he would learn better without constant head trauma. Either way, it was a valid point.

"Look…" he sighed, "I had to find a way to share the same space as a girl who can squash me like a bug just by thinking of a fly swatter. She yelled at me if I tried to pretend she wasn't there. And she yelled at me even more if I tried to pretend I was like her."

"So what? Ya just call it a draw?" he joked.

"Yeah," he shrugged. "Kinda'."

Now it was Cyborg's turn to exchange peculiar looks at BeastBoy.

"I think that once she just realized that I wasn't tryin' to take her alone time from her, that I wasn't just tryin to see how big I could make the vein in the side of her head grow. That I was tryin' to share my alone time with her, she just kinda'… I dunno'… gave into it."

Cyborg continued to play, but at a considerably less intense pace. His grip on the controller was far less tight and his fingers had slowed their intense mashing and pounding against the buttons.

"Guess sometimes ya can give people what they want and other times ya can end up givin'em what they need," BeastBoy finished his explanation.

Cyborg took a moment to let it completely sink it. He hadn't expected such deep thought, even if not worded the most accurately, to come from his friend. But then again this was BeastBoy. And of all the people in the tower he could certainly give you a few surprises when he wanted to.

"And the second?" he asked as he glanced over his shoulder, feeling as though the first lesson had come through.

"The second is," BeastBoy took a deep breath. "It's wicked easy to make someone else's mind wander if ya just tell them what they wanna' hear."

"Huh?" he gave a baffled look.

From the screen came a sudden buzzer accompanied by the overwhelming melody of victory music.

Cyborg looked to find that in being fully absorbed in BeastBoy's life lesson he'd fallen so far behind in the game he'd suffered total defeat. The screen flashed a victory animation over BeastBoy's character. To which BeastBoy himself shared a smug expression.

Cyborg's mouth agape, he quickly shook off the fleeting sense of shock, his own plan to distract his competitor used against him. He looked back over at BeastBoy with a sour look to his face, ripe with complaints and objections to losing on account of his own distraction.

"New game?" he asked innocently with a small boastful grin as he lightly twirled the controller by the connection wire around his finger.

He stared bitterly as he dropped the controller to his side on the couch, slowly rising in ominous silence, turning on his heel. "Hmph!" he grunted without another word as he walked sternly towards the kitchen area.

BeastBoy merely shrugged as he took proper hold of the controller to play a solo game in his place.

Cyborg made his way over to Robin as he assisted Starfire by the sink, cleaning the last of Silkie's trick from her face. Wringing out the sponge after one last swab of her cheek Robin gave a casual glance in the direction where he'd come. "Everything okay?" he asked, plainly knowing the young changeling was getting under his skin. Not an uncommon occurrence to be sure. However usually it took a lot more than a single loss at Gamestation to get to Cyborg like this. Especially considering how much he commonly dominated BeastBoy every other time at video games.

Cyborg just folded his arms with a snort. Almost pouting.

"Trouble yourself not, Cyborg," Starfire beamed with a smile. "Even with the loss of the games on video, you have much to be proud."

"BeastBoy will have a cleaner living quarters," Robin supported.

"Till he turns it into a sty all over again," Cyborg muttered, fearing his labor would be wasted effort.

"Raven will have a quieter setting for her meditation and personal recreation," Robin went on.

"And you have strengthened the bond of our two most dearest friends," Starfire cheerfully concluded.

Cyborg was unresponsive for a moment. But after letting off a little steam and looking up to further think about the overall results his wager had yielded, he started to come around to the idea giving a small smile in self satisfaction. "Yeah," he said softly. "Yeah, I guess you're right," he responded in a slightly more upbeat tone. "Who knows? Maybe it was all for the best. Certainly couldn't be any worse."

Starfire smiled brightly.

"At the very least, we shouldn't have to worry about the two of them causing such frequent commotion around the tower," Robin said optimistically.

**POP! - **_SPLASH!_

Suddenly from down the hall came a loud disturbance. What sounded like the sharp pop of a balloon followed by water spilling onto the floor. Then nothing at all.

Robin, Starfire, and Cyborg all turned, facing the main room door.

Silence. Unnatural silence.

Then after a moments pause, they heard it.

Slowly and steadily came the trudging foreboding footsteps of what sounded like damp shoes sloshing and squeaking against the floor.

The main room doors opened.

"Then again…" Robin trailed off.

In walked Raven. Soaked from the waist up. Her hair damp and matted to her head, a few steady trickles of water dripping onto the ground. The top of her cloak saturated, clinging heavily to her shoulders, and a few shredded remnants of a water balloon sticking into the fabric.

Raven's face was eerily calm save for the narrowed, angry expression of her eyes. "Where is he?" she spat firmly as a few droplets fell from her brow, almost jumping as if afraid of being caught in her eyes.

Her neck creaked as she looked to the side able to see the back of BeastBoy's head on the couch, too absorbed in his current game to even notice her arrive. Raven marched, the soles of her shoes still squeaking from the trail of water being dripped behind her as she moved. She didn't say a word. Only the squeaks beneath her feet filled the room like tiny screams as if foretelling what was about to follow.

"Uh, well look at the time. Breaks over!" Cyborg exclaimed feverishly as he slinked against the wall, making haste to vacate the room and steer clear of Raven's path. "Guess I'd better be gettin' back to work!"

"And I… uh just remembered I'm long overdue to hit the obstacle course today!" Robin followed soon after, making for the exit. "Star, wanna spot me?"

"Oh yes, I would be most happy t…"

Robin took her by the wrist, yanking her beside him to match his pace to quickly get the both of them out of the room. "Great! Let's go."

Normally Robin was big on keeping his teammates from incurring unnecessary injury. But where BeastBoy and one of his pranks was concerned he also felt it was important he owned up to his actions. And then of course Raven was more than a handful whenever she got like this. As long as it was below a concussion in terms of severity it was deemed lesson learned.

All three hastily vacated the room to pursue something very loud to do for the next hour or so.

BeastBoy sat on the couch, still engrossed in his game, blissfully unaware.

Raven stepped right in front of him.

Still BeastBoy made the effort to peer around her, leaning as far over as he was able while still maintaining a firm grip on the controller.

Raven leaned down, locking eyes. Angry, damp, dripping, impatient eyes.

The controller slipped loose from his grip, hitting the floor with a clunk. Yet his hands remained frozen in holding position as BeastBoy stared up at her. "Um…" he attempted to deduce the best opening statement for the situation at hand but found himself coming up short as he didn't know what to make of Raven's fresh new expression of border lining aggravation and at least three different layers of silent wrath.

"I suppose you think this is 'funny'?" she asked almost rhetorically with her jaw locked.

He tilted his head to the side as if to analyze it from a different perspective. "Well, now that ya mention it… it this light…"

Raven's eyes narrowed as her brow dug down as far as it could go without touching her nose.

"Whoa!" BeastBoy sat up in a fright with his back flat against the couch. It was then that he took notice of the traces of torn water balloon pieces, no doubt the cause of her looking like she'd been waist deep bobbing for apples.

"I know where you're goin' with this! And I know how this must look! But I didn't do it!" He franticly had his hands up in front of him as if to swear he was telling the truth.

Raven crossed her arms, impatiently tapping her foot that was punctuated by the soggy smack of her shoe forming a small puddle with every tap of her foot.

"Raven, I'm tellin' ya I had nothin' to do with it!" BeastBoy remained unyielding in professing his innocence.

"No, of course not," she brushed the water balloon pieces from her shoulder, shaking her head.

She took a step forward, turning around as she plopped down beside BeastBoy on the couch. "I did," she replied simply as she wrung out a portion of her cloak, allowing the runoff to drip onto BeastBoy's knee.

He jumped back an inch or so to keep from getting wet but still trying to comprehend what was happening and trying to keep his face from going totally vacant. "Wha…? You?!"

Raven raised her hand into the air as the main room's doors swished open just briefly enough to allow a single book encased in black energy to whiz through the air and into her waiting fingers. She shook her other hand making certain it was dry as she opened the book and began reading quietly without a single word of explanation.

BeastBoy remained perplexed. "Hu… wha… you…" he gestured back and forth between the door, her, and the few scattered puddles around the room as if trying to make sense of it all. Raven had always had an element of mystery to her, but this seemed a bit more than BeastBoy could wrap his head around. At least, right away.

He continued to stare though letting his eyes wander around the immediate vicinity at the sudden absence of anyone else in the room. It was quiet. It was just the two of them. What did this mean? She was more comfortable around him as long as no one else was there to see it? She did go through a rather intricate ruse to clear the place out. Quickly he found his sights back on Raven who remained attentive to her book.

Raven's pupils shifted, able to give him the smallest glance out of the corner of her eye. Though she didn't speak a word.

"Uh…" BeastBoy tried to form some kind of question. Now if only he could figure out which to ask.

Raven remained motionless, crooking an eyebrow as if signifying, 'Well?'

BeastBoy's eyes wandered to the floor. "Never mind," he shook his head. He leaned down scooping up his controller.

Raven held her sights on him.

"Okay, just one thing!" he threw out his hands.

She rolled her eyes, having seen it coming.

BeastBoy looked closely at her still waterlogged face and upper body. "I gotta' ask," he pointed a finger at her. "Just… how big a water balloon did you use?"

Raven's face remained blank, absent of a single hint of emotion one way or the other. "Big enough," she answered plainly.

BeastBoy paused before nodding slightly. "Makes sense," he shrugged quickly turning himself back to the screen.

She stared for a split second. Raven looked straight ahead before giving a delayed shake of her head. Leave it to BeastBoy to sweat the little things.

Suddenly she felt a gentle weight press against her side. Raven looked over to find BeastBoy reclined with his back to her side and his resting on her shoulder. She looked down at him with a somewhat impatient stare as if expecting a response. Or at the very least an explanation.

However BeastBoy had locked his attention back on the screen and was already in the process of starting a new game.

"Ahem," she poorly masked her attempt to get BeastBoy's attention as she cast her head down.

"What?" he replied, "You're comfortable. A little soggy, but…"

Raven parted one hand from her book, shoving him upright back into sitting position. "Not with your shoulders knocking against my ribs and your elbow swinging into my leg every time you clear a level," she speculated, brushing herself off.

"Hmph!" he curled a smile, playfully turning his nose up in the air as if insulted.

It felt somewhat refreshing in a way. It had been a while since the both of them had just acted natural without having to preserve a stipulation. But now the bet was over. And it felt nice knowing that even if things were somehow different now some things were still the same.

"Yeah yeah," he consented. "Just make sure those fancy earplug of yours are-"

Raven leaned her head onto BeastBoy's shoulder.

BeastBoy froze. His eyes looked over at the top of Raven's head as she was reading intently.

He tapped her on the top of the head. Gently. (No way Raven had changed that much)

After two or three blunt nudges of the finger Raven looked up with the demeanor of an irate librarian.

"Uh, excuse you," he said in a fearless manner scarcely ever felt he would address Raven in, "What happen to miss, 'you bump and jab when ya play'? How am I supposed to enjoy my game?"

"Carefully," she said simply. And with that she turned back to her book, picking up where she left off.

BeastBoy stared at her head for a moment before letting out a deep breath. The kind you usually exhale after you play hackie sack with a live grenade.

He'd never felt that casual addressing Raven in such a way, not after an expression like THAT was plastered on her face. Yet he hadn't given it a second thought at the time. Then again, with BeastBoy, first thoughts were usually the most he could handle.

Raven too was having her own internal debate. Since when was she this laid back around BeastBoy? Literally 'laid back', as in using him as a cushion. A stepping-stone or a human Frisbee, that was plausible given the right circumstance. But this? This was new.

But what was done was done. Raven eased into comfortable reading position. And BeastBoy turned his attention to his video game. They both quietly occupied the room. Well, save for the occasional cheap game death BeastBoy would suffer due to his controller not doing what he wanted it to which he responded to by cracking the controller's cord like a whip. This inadvertently caused his shoulders to drop suddenly causing Raven's head to dip and knock against him like a speed bump. And then she would kindly remind him to be more considerate by reaching up, pinching her thumb and middle finger together, and sharply flicking the back of his ear. It only took two of said occurrences before BeastBoy wised up. A new personal best.

Of course always one to press his luck he decided to take the limits of the moment to another level. After a short while, without incident or warning or a word spoken between the two of them, he slowly leaned his head to the side resting his head on top of Raven's.

Instantly he could feel Raven's eyes shift from the book to whatever portion of his skull was visible as he nervously swallowed.

Raven stirred from her position, but only to nestle her other shoulder more firmly against the couch. And then she turned the page of her book.

Nothing.

Just then he looked over as a pillow irradiated black as it levitated off the couch a few feet into the air. It softly coasted through the air and then landed on the floor in front of them.

BeastBoy looked between the couch and the pillow on the ground, his mind trying to decipher whatever meaning it held. A delayed response? A warning? No. It was something else entirely.

The answer dawned on him causing him a give a nervous laugh. Raven gave a small smile as if to mentally answer that he was correct in his assumption.

Both of them had grown… closer. Fond perhaps of one another in some sense. And while the future was uncertain as to where things go from here, one thing was abundantly clear. This moment wouldn't last forever. Cyborg had already had more than his fair share of fun at their expense and there was no sense in repeating that for any indefinite period of time. And certainly no reason to add Robin and Starfire into the mix as well. Sooner or later the others were bound to return. To check on them and to do damage control. And this scenario was not the kind for prying eyes.

And now Raven had taken it upon herself to give BeastBoy the warmest gesture he ever thought possible.

She had afforded him a soft place to throw him.

**The End.**

**Note From the Author:** Pardon me as I wipe a tear from my eye.

I just want to thank all my readers out there for supporting this story throughout all the overextended and overdue updates. It was not intentional. And it was never about not knowing what to write. Merely finding the time. Most people told me straight out they didn't mind the wait, and preferred it not be rushed. But a fair number of people also made their need for a fix known as well. I responded to as many as I could (at least the ones who weren't anonymous) to let them know it was still ongoing.

Some of you who may have visited my DeviantArt page (to which I also responded to update requests) may have commented that, 'if I had time to draw, why not time to write?' I won't deny this. And believe me it hurt my heart to take so long. However writing is a far different process for me than drawing. I can draw at my desk, at home, in the break room at work; I can pull out my sketchpad anywhere and start drawing. I can have music going, the tv on, have a bite in between. I can seamlessly go from drawing after drawing. Writing is a whole other process. I need quiet, no distractions, and focus. I start typing a few paragraphs, then get up and walk around the room to hash out some of the scenes in my head. Sometimes I even go as far as to say the dialogue out loud and act the scene out. A lot of people commend me for staying true to the characters, and this is in part how I achieve this.

And I also want to especially thank the people who took the time to write reviews. Most people just give the obligatory 'update' or 'cool' (Don't get me wrong, I appreciate the positive reinforcement all the same) But the people who go into specifics about what they like about the story and let me know what it means to them on a personal level, that's the stuff that truly humbles me.

Even the people who aren't shippers. People who e-mail and note me:

'I don't care for BeastBoy and Raven. I don't like the idea of them together. I don't see them as a couple. … But you make it work.'

To me, that is the highest praise I could ever have.

So what's next? Not sure. I'm not done writing if that's what you want to know. I have a good six or seven plot ideas lined up. Some multi chapter stories, some one-shots. As it stands, I only have outlines for all of them. I just need to decide which one I want to do next and hash out the details. Regardless, I'll be busy, as only a fan boy knows how.

Thank you again.

-BlueTitan


End file.
